Stork brings a Stark
by ninjanervana
Summary: Pepper's pregnant with Tony's baby! How will she break the news to him? How will Tony and the others handle a new baby on the way? Read about Pepper and Tony navigating the road to parenthood. Similar to A Bouncing Bundle of Thunder. Tony/Pepper, Thor/Jane, Clint/Natasha. Post Avengers
1. Late Start: 5 weeks

Hello readers! Due to popular demand, I'm here with a new Tony/Pepper story! A lot of people were requesting a Tony/Pepper story similar to A Bouncing Bundle of Thunder (the story of Thor and Jane's baby) so here I am with another baby story. Remember that I do not own any of the characters. I don't wanna be sued or anything. I'll try to update every other day; it depends on how my school work is going. Leave me lots of reviews and I'll try to write the chapters faster. Hope you all enjoy!

-ninjanervana

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Pepper laid in bed, still tangled between the sheets as the sun's rays brightened her bedroom. Normally she would have been up already, preparing for meetings, reviewing important documents, harassing Tony into actually going to work. Pepper Potts was not a person who slept in; to find her still in bed after 8 AM on a weekday was nearly impossible. She did not sleep in, not when there was work to be done. And after working for Stark Industries for nearly ten years, she knew there was always some work to be done, some disaster to be averted. Stark Industries was just like New York; it never slept.

But today she couldn't force herself from bed. As she watched the clock on the wall strike 10 AM, she couldn't force herself to get up and start working. She couldn't make herself act as if it was a normal day. Because it wasn't. Pepper tentatively placed her hand on her stomach, biting her lower lip. _'We're in trouble,'_ Pepper thought worriedly. She pulled the blanket over her head, wanting to hide from the world. She could hear the muffled sounds of the Avengers in the Tower. Steve would be coming up from the gym to finally have breakfast. Bruce would be down in the lab with Tony, helping him with his latest project while they sipped coffee. Thor and Jane would be eating breakfast while Asgeir played in the living room. Natasha and Clint would be either cooking breakfast or downstairs in the gym working out.

Pepper loved having the Avengers in the Tower with her and Tony. She loved sitting together for dinner most nights of the week. She loved listening to them argue about which movie to watch during their "team-bonding" nights. She loved listening to the quiet murmur of voices as she worked in her office. She loved having people who understood how important Tony and Stark Industries was to her; many friends had dropped her because they couldn't work around Pepper's difficult schedule. Pepper continued to tell herself she was better off without them, but it still hurt to be dropped. She loved having girlfriends she could go shopping with or vent about Tony to. She loved having a little nephew to run around the Tower, filling it with his laughter. She loved how happy Tony seemed to have his new friends around. She loved having the Tower filled with noise and laughter. The Avengers had become an extended family, joining the ranks of the few people whom she and Tony trusted.

'_And it looks like we're gonna get another member,'_ Pepper thought, groaning softly. She wanted to bang her head against a wall; she couldn't believe that this was happening to them. She had always been careful when it came to sex. But between her doctor changing her birth control and Tony nearly dying _again_ on another mission, she figured she shouldn't be surprised that their one night of "thank god you're alive" sex had left them in this situation. Her missed period and the pregnancy tests she took earlier that morning sealed the deal._ 'How am I supposed to tell Tony?' _she wondered, her brow creasing with worry. _'Does he even want a kid?'_ Pepper had talked about Tony before about possibly having kids in the future; he always seemed on the fence about it. There were times when he talked fondly about his childhood, about the afternoons he spent sitting on his mother's lap as she taught him to play the piano, about the drives he took with his father, about the few times his father let him into his lab. But there were other times when Tony seemed depressed by the thought of his childhood. "What are we going to do?" Pepper wondered aloud. Pepper knew there were worst things than being pregnant with your husband's child, but the thought of telling Tony caused Pepper's stomach to twist in painful knots. _'This is not going to be easy.'_

* * *

"Excuse me sir," JARVIS said, turning off the music once Bruce walked out of the lab.

"Jarvis, you know no one's allowed to turn off my music," Tony said, not looking up from the tablet in his hands.

"I am terribly sorry, sir but there may be an emergency," the AI replied politely.

"What's up?" Tony asked, placing his tablet on the desk. "Is everyone alright?"

"It's Ms. Potts."

"I thought I told you to call her Mrs. Stark," Tony said offhandedly. He and Pepper had been married for more than six months, but the AI still insisted on calling her Ms. Potts, probably on Pepper's orders. "What's wrong with Pepper?"

"She's still in bed, sir."

"Yeah, so?" Tony said, wondering how that constituted an emergency.

"It is 10:48, sir. Ms. Potts almost never stays in bed after 8 AM. My records show the only time Ms. Potts stays in bed after 8 AM is when you are with her and on the two occasions when she has been sick," JARVIS informed him.

"You think she might be sick?" Tony said, getting up from his seat and heading to the door.

"I cannot be positive, sir. But I worry she may be. There is no other reason on record for Ms. Potts remaining in bed at this hour."

"Okay, thanks Jarv," Tony said, talking the steps two at a time as he exited the lab. He quickly walked toward his and Pepper's bedroom, his mind running through all the possible reasons why Pepper might still be in bed. He knew Jarvis was right; Pepper never stayed in bed without him keeping her there. She was up at the crack of dawn, shooting out emails from her Blackberry. He knocked quietly on the door before opening it. He felt a smile stretch across his face as Pepper turned to look at him, her strawberry blonde hair fanned out across the pillow. "Hey."

"Hey Tony," Pepper replied, sitting up.

"Are you okay?" Tony asked worriedly, sitting next to her.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Pepper answered calmly, internally panicking. _'There's no way he could know, absolutely no way. Tony isn't exactly the most observant person.' _

"No reason I guess," Tony said, shrugging his shoulders. "Jarvis told me you were still in bed and you almost never stay in bed late except when you're sick. So I decided to check up on you."

Pepper smiled, kissing Tony's cheek softly. "I'm perfectly fine, Tony. Just having a late start today."

"You sure?" Tony asked, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"I'm posi-" Pepper's eyes widened slightly before she clamped a hand over her mouth, jumping out of bed and rushing to the bathroom.

"Pepper!" Tony exclaimed in worry as she slammed the door shut. "Pepper!"

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Reviews please!


	2. Something to work with

Tony's eyes widened slightly as Pepper tossed the sheets aside and leapt off the bed, smacking him across his chest in her haste. "Pepper!" Tony exclaimed in worry as she slammed the door shut. "Pepper!" He quickly jumped out of bed, rushing to the bathroom. His stomach dropped in worry as he heard Pepper throw up, his mind in overdrive as he attempted to figure out what could have made her sick. _'You can't tell me you're perfectly fine then dash off to the bathroom to puke, Pep,'_ Tony thought. He knelt down beside her, one hand gathering her silky strawberry blonde hair away from her face while the other rubbed soothing circles against her back. His heart clenched sympathetically as Pepper continued to be sick. Tony had spent many mornings becoming best friends with the bathroom after an evening of partying and he knew how horrendous it made you feel.

After a few minutes, Pepper leaned away from the toilet, feeling exhausted. _'That could have gone better,'_ Pepper thought as her eyes drifted shut. She sighed in contentment as Tony pulled her back against him, her back resting against his chest. She felt shaky and weak and her skin felt uncomfortably hot; feeling Tony's strong body against hers made her feel a tiny bit better.

"Wanna get up?" Tony asked softly, kissing her shoulder gently.

"Yeah, I need to brush my teeth first," Pepper replied, bracing her hands on Tony's knees as she slowly got to her feet. Pepper quickly scrubbed her teeth, desperately wanting to get the taste of bile out of her mouth. _'What do I tell him now?'_ Pepper wondered, aware of Tony standing in the bathroom doorway, his eyes trained on her. She quickly ran through a mental list of possible excuses to tell Tony: there's been a stomach flu going around at Stark Industries, I ate some bad Chinese for lunch yesterday, it's that time of the month. Each excuse made her feel more and more guilty. _'I can't keep this from Tony. This is a huge thing; this involves his life. I just…how's he gonna take it?'_

Tony frowned slightly as he watched Pepper brush her teeth, her expression clouded with worry. _'What could she be worried about?' _he wondered. If Pepper was worried he knew he should probably be worried too. He resisted the urge to ask Jarvis to make a list of possible reasons she could be sick. He knew if he was patient enough, Pepper would tell him. Unfortunately patience was not one of his many gifts. He breathed a sigh of relief as the water finally shut off. "Back to bed?" Tony asked as she turned toward him. He didn't like how pale her normally rosy skin looked, how tired her bright blue eyes were. _'How sick is she?'_ he thought worriedly.

"Bed sounds wonderful right now," Pepper replied softly. She smiled slightly as Tony lifted her into his arms, carrying her back to their massive bed.

"So," Tony said as he laid in bed with Pepper, her head resting on his chest. "What's wrong? That bad, huh?" he remarked as he noticed Pepper's hand quickly clench and unclench his stomach.

Pepper cursed her reflexes, wishing Tony had missed her hand clenching his shirt. _'Why did I think he would miss that? He's a genius for god's sake; he notices everything,'_ she chastised herself. "It's not that bad," Pepper muttered, closing her eyes.

Tony was baffled by Pepper's hesitant behavior. Pepper was never the hesitant type. She was much more like him; when she knew what she wanted she was going to go after it full steam. _'This has to be really bad,'_ Tony thought. "Are you sick? Do you need to see a doctor? I could get Bruce to come check up on you."

"No," Pepper mumbled against his shirt.

"Then what's wrong, Pep? You gotta give me something to work with," Tony replied, stroking her hair slowly. "You can't puke your guts up and expect me to drop it; you know me better than that."

Pepper sighed, biting on her lower lip. _'How am I supposed to tell him this?'_ she wondered. _'Do I just blurt it out? This was not the way I wanted to tell him; I'm not ready to tell him. What if he doesn't want to have the baby?'_ Pepper panicked internally at the thought. She had only known of her pregnancy for a few hours, but she couldn't imagine giving the baby, her baby, their baby up_. 'We've never discussed this; we're not prepared for this. He has his whole role as Iron Man and being an Avenger and then we have to Stark Industries and all of those responsibilities-'_

"Pepper, relax," Tony said softly, interrupting her train of thought as he watched her expression grow more and more distressed. "Whatever it is, we'll handle it okay?"

"We will?" Pepper said, looking up at Tony.

"Of course we will; there's nothing we can't handle," Tony said assuredly.

Pepper nodded, more to herself than to Tony. "We can handle this."

"Yes, we can."

"Tony, I'm pregnant," Pepper said quickly.

Tony felt as if the brakes had been thrown on his brain. He was a genius, he processed information faster than most people, he became an expert on thermonuclear physics over night. But the three words that had come out of Pepper's mouth were not making sense. Those three little words ran through his mind again and again. Tony hoped if he chased them around enough they would finally make sense. "P-pregnant?" Tony stuttered.

Pepper nodded, biting her lip softly. Now she knew how Jane felt when she had to tell Thor she was pregnant. Her stomach twisted uncomfortably, tying her intestines into knots that would have made the boy scouts proud. She was nervous and anxious and wondered whether the nausea she felt was from her nerves or morning sickness. "Aren't you going to say something?" Pepper asked as the silence became unbearable.

"You're pregnant," Tony repeated dumbstruck. "You're going to have a baby."

Pepper felt her heart plummet. _'You, not we. You, not we,'_ she thought, her eyes filling with tears.

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*Dramatic music* what's gonna happen to Tony and Pepper? Reviews please


	3. Semantics are everything

Pepper quickly pulled herself away from Tony, feeling the tears welling up in her eyes. _'I will not cry, I will not cry, I will not cry,'_ she chanted. _'I am a strong woman and I will not cry over his thoughtless, careless words. I would have become an emotional wreck years ago if I let his words affect me.' _

Tony's brow furrowed in confusion as Pepper quickly pulled out of his arms, watching as she got to her feet. His eyes widened slightly as he caught sight of the tears filling her baby blue eyes. _'Wait, what's wrong? Why's she crying?' _he thought. He felt his confusion grow as Pepper began to pace the room, raking her hand through her disheveled locks.

"I-I know we never discussed having a kid," Pepper said, her voice hoarse as she tried to fit back her tears. She refused to break down and cry in front of him. _'If Tony doesn't want to have the baby, then fine; I'll have the baby by myself.'_ The thought of going through her entire pregnancy without Tony by her side, without him there to experience all of the big moments caused her to bite her bottom lip to hold in a sob. "But I won't give up this baby, Tony."

Pepper's words hit Tony like a ton of bricks, causing him to jump to his feet. _'Is that what she thinks? She thinks I don't want to have the baby? Why would she even think that? I mean sure we've never really talked about having a kid of our own and I don't exactly know how to be a dad; I didn't have the world's best role model. But I never said I didn't wanna have the baby; where the hell did she get an idea like that?'_ Tony thought frantically as he walked over to her. "Pepper."

"I mean it won't be easy having a kid alone," Pepper said, ignoring Tony as she continued to pace. "There'll be doctors appointments to go to and baby books to read-"

"Pepper," Tony said a bit louder.

"And I'll have to take a maternity leave toward the end of my pregnancy, but I'll probably be able to work until I'm eight months along or so. And I can always work from home during my leave; I won't need to go into the office."

"Pepper!" Tony shouted.

"What!" Pepper replied, turning toward him.

Tony grabbed Pepper's waist, pulling her body against hers as he kissed her forcefully, effectively ending her rant. Pepper froze momentarily, confused by his actions, before she melted into his kiss_. 'A kiss can only be a good sign, right?'_ she thought, wrapping her arms around Tony's neck to pull him closer. Tony broke the kiss gently as his lungs began to burn from lack of oxygen, leaning his forehead against hers as he tried to catch his breath. "You're absolutely insane, you know," Tony said breathlessly, his arms wrapped around her loosely.

"I'm confused," Pepper replied honestly.

"Why the hell did you even think that I didn't want to have the baby? Our baby? Have you lost your mind?," Tony said gently, brushing an errant strand of hair from her eyes. "Come on, Pep; I always thought you were the smarter person in this marriage. How could you even think I wouldn't want to have the baby?"

"But…you said you're pregnant," Pepper replied. "Not we, you."

"You got all upset over semantics? Seriously?" Tony asked incredulously. "Sure this is our kid, yours and mine, but technically _you're_ having the baby, not me. This baby, our baby is growing inside of you." Tony pressed his palm against Pepper's perfectly flat stomach, a small smile on his lips. "Don't ever, ever, _ever_ think I don't wanna have this baby, okay? Sure we didn't plan to have a baby or even talk about it, but I want to have this kid; I wanna have this kid with you. The only reason I wouldn't wanna have the baby would be if you didn't want to have the baby; I would never force this on you."

"Oh Tony," Pepper said softly, tears streaming down her cheeks. The weight that had settled in her heart at the thought of having the baby without Tony's love and support vanished; she felt as if she could breathe again. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Potts," Tony replied, brushing the tears from her cheeks. "Just so we're clear now, you want to have this baby? You don't feel pressured by anything; you, Pepper Potts-Stark, want to have this baby?"

"Yes, I want to have this baby," Pepper replied, smiling slightly.

"We, and I'm emphasizing the we because semantics are everything, are having this baby together?"

"Yes, _we_ are having this baby together."

"You are willing to carry around my little genius demon spawn inside of you for nine months?" Tony asked, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Mom said I was a holy terror through her pregnancy and most of my childhood."

"And most of your adulthood," Pepper added. "Yes, I'm willing to carry your child for nine months; if I can manage to make you behave, I'm sure I can get our child to behave. The baby is one-half me so he or she should have more self-control than you."

"Out of curiosity, exactly how did we get ourselves into this wonderful situation?"

"With a lack of self-control," Pepper replied dryly. "Lack of self-control, you nearly dying on a mission, and my birth control being changed. It was a recipe for disaster or I guess pregnancy."

"I hate to say it, but it was bound to happen eventually," Tony said, smirking as Pepper swatted his arm gently. "Well you know what we have to do now, right?"

"What?"

"We have to celebrate," Tony replied mischievously, scooping her into his arms and walking toward the way. "With a lack of self-control."

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Yay! Things have worked out perfectly ^_^ What could happen next? Reviews please


	4. Science Bros: 8 weeks

"But Pepper, why can't we tell them?" Tony complained, plopping himself onto the bed. The only people who knew about Pepper's pregnancy were herself, Tony, Pepper's doctor, and Jarvis who had been instructed to guard that knowledge as securely as Tony's information about his Iron Man suit. "Come on, it's been forever."

"It's only been four weeks, Tony," Pepper replied, her eyes roaming her dresser for her earrings. Pepper couldn't explain why she didn't want to tell anyone about hers and Tony's baby yet. She was insanely happy that Tony wanted to tell everyone about their baby; if she gave him the chance he would probably shout the news from the top of the Tower. The others would be incredibly happy for them too, happy to add another member to their little dysfunctional family. There would be parties and baby showers and shopping and fawning and all the love a family could give to expecting parents. But Pepper liked having this little secret with Tony. She liked the secret smirk he would give her from across the living room. She liked the way his hand would brush against her stomach when they stood face to face. She liked the way his eyes would look down at her stomach before they went to sleep at night. She liked these little private moments she had with Tony and she just wanted to hold onto them a little longer. "Have you seen my pearl earrings?"

"On the nightstand, but you're avoiding the question. Come on, we _have_ to tell them Pepper. This is huge news, astronomical news, life changing news. We have to tell them. We can throw a party and tell them all then. We can even invite Agent Agent Phil Coulson. It'll be fun," Tony said, looking up at her with his best puppy look.

Pepper walked over to the bed, grabbing her earrings off the nightstand. "I don't know, Tony; I like having the baby just to ourselves, to just have us knowing about it." Tony wrapped his arm around Pepper's waist, pulling her onto his lap. "Tony, let me go; I have a meeting to get to," Pepper laughed, squirming in his arms.

"Nope, I'm not gonna let you go until you say we can tell everyone about the baby," Tony replied, tightening his arms around her waist. "Please, Pep. Please please please please. Listen, Platypus is gonna be in town next week; we can invite him over and tell everyone all at once. Come on, Pepper please please please."

"Okay, okay," Pepper replied, smiling at Tony. "We'll invite James over for dinner and tell everyone. Now will you please let go of me? I'm going to be late."

"Can't have that now can we," Tony said, kissing her quickly before releasing her. "Go rule Stark Industries with an iron fist; I'll see you later."

"Will that be all, Mr. Stark?" Pepper asked, turning around to smile at him before she walked out of the room.

"Yes that will be all, Ms. Potts," Tony replied, smiling slightly.

* * *

Tony walked down the stairs of the lab with an extra spring in his step. He was excited Pepper had finally agreed to tell everyone about their baby. He had been arguing with her since the day she told him she was pregnant to tell the others about it. He wanted them to join in their happiness, in their excitement. He was surprised Pepper managed to last four weeks of his badgering. As he walked into his lab, he wondered how the others hadn't noticed she was pregnant already. Didn't they notice that she was eating less than she normally did? Didn't they notice how pale she got at times? _'Maybe it's just a husband thing,'_ Tony thought. _'Or maybe because I know about the baby I notice the changes.'_

"Hey Brucie," Tony greeted his fellow scientist as he wandered over to his desk.

"You're awfully cheerful this morning," Bruce commented, smiling slightly.

"Why shouldn't I be? The sun is shining-"

"It's actually raining outside."

"The birds are chirping-"

"It's almost December, Tony; the birds have all flown south for the winter."

"And it's a beautiful, marvelous day."

"Have you been drinking?" Bruce laughed slightly. "I don't think I've ever seen you this cheerful except after you and Pepper got married; you're almost….peppy."

_ 'Peppy because of Pepper,'_ Tony thought. "Can you keep a secret, Bruce?" Tony asked.

Bruce raised an eyebrow, torn between curiosity and caution. "Why?" he asked nervously.

"Because I have something I wanna tell you but you have to keep it a secret," Tony replied, rolling his eyes. "This is serious, code red serious."

"I'm not sure I wanna know anymore."

"No, you wanna know; trust me you do. But you need to swear on the code of science bros that you will not divulge this information," Tony said seriously. "This has to stay between you and me."

"Okay," Bruce said, nodding. "I won't say anything about it."

Tony took a deep breath, a smile stretching across his face. "Pepper's pregnant," he said quickly.

Bruce's eyes widened momentarily before he engulfed Tony in a hug, surprising the shit out of him. Bruce wasn't the touchiest person in the Tower. Thor was prone to giving hugs on random occasions. Clint and Natasha seemed perfectly fine with the physical contact, though you didn't want to surprise them unless you wanted to be injured. Steve was completely comfortable with physical contact, finding the balance between Thor's over-enthusiasm and Tony's wariness. Tony was well….Tony; when the mood struck him, he was all about handshakes and hugs. But Bruce was always the person who seemed to shy away from physical contact. He could always be depended to listen to your problems for hours on end or stitch up your injuries, but he didn't run around giving out hugs.

But this was a special occasion. His best friend, the nut job who opened his home to a somewhat stable rage monster, the man who defended him against the people who called him a monster, the man who trusted him around the most important person in his world, his science bro as Tony called them, was having a baby. "I'm so happy for you and Pepper," Bruce said, smiling as he took a step away from Tony. "How far along is she? When did you find out?"

Tony looked at Bruce slack jawed for a moment before he regained his senses. "We found out last month; she's about eight weeks along. I've been dying to tell everyone since we found out but Pepper wanted to keep it a secret for a while. We're having a dinner next week to announce it to everyone so make sure you put your surprised face on."

"I'm surprised you managed to keep quiet this long," Bruce laughed. "I'm really happy for you, Tony."

"Thanks," he replied, smiling slightly. "I'm excited and nervous and anxious and I don't know how to raise a kid, but I think with Pepper everything's gonna be alright. I mean she's already brilliant at everything she does and she's so kind and sweet and she's got that heart of gold thing going on so even if I mess up a little bit, the kid won't be completely ruined."

"You'll be a great dad," Bruce said, interrupting Tony's rant. "Trust me." If anyone could be a great father, Bruce knew it would be Tony, the man who graciously opened his house to a group of strangers, who courageously protected the people he loved, who stood up against bullies in all shapes and forms. Yeah, his science bro was gonna make a great dad.

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I love the science bros, i find them absolutely adorable. Reviews please


	5. Negatives of spy roommates: 9 weeks

"Remember what I said about the rules," Pepper warned Tony as she changed out of her business suit. Tony originally wanted the announcement dinner to be a fancy shindig: long dresses, suits, cocktails, the whole nine yards. Pepper immediately vetoed his plans. The Avengers were family after all, not some business partners they were trying to wine and dine, not a group of committee strangers at some gala Stark Industries. Pepper wanted it to be as low-key as possible. After spending all day at work in power suits and heels, she preferred wearing jeans and a t-shirt while she was at home.

"Are you sure we can't tweak some of the rules?" Tony pleaded, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Absolutely not."

"Just one or two of them, it won't be a big deal," Tony replied, kissing the side of her neck.

"No," Pepper replied firmly, placing her hands over Tony's. "There will be no explosions-"

"Not even a little one?"

"No fireworks display-"

"That's not even dangerous, Pep; live a little."

"I'd rather not have you announcing to the entire eastern seaboard that I'm having your child," she replied dryly. "It's one thing if James and the Avengers know; they're family, but I don't want the tabloids knowing. I'll never get a moment's peace."

"Fair enough," Tony agreed. "No fireworks."

"No big display to announce the news, just you and me."

"Your mommy's no fun," Tony said as he placed his hand against her stomach. "She never lets me do_ anything_ fun. But when you arrive, it'll be two on one."

"I'd prefer for us to still have a home when I have the baby. And it will not be two on one; Jarvis will side with me and our child does not get a vote on joining in with your insane plans."

"Don't worry; we just won't tell mommy," Tony stage whispered, kissing her stomach quickly.

"You are impossible," Pepper laughed, swatting at his arm.

"Just remember you picked me," Tony replied, kissing her softly before tugging her out of the room. "Now come on; everyone's probably waiting for us."

"You didn't tell anyone, right?" Pepper asked.

"Tell anyone what?" Clint asked from behind them.

_'Shit,'_ Tony thought. _'One of the negatives of living in a house with two master assassins: you can never say anything without being overheard.'_

"What I'm planning for Christmas," Pepper lied easily, her boardroom smile sliding into place. It was the smile she wore when she took over the boardroom, the smile that showed she was kind and gentle, but if you cross her you won't be attending meetings much longer. It was one of the many things on Tony's long list of reasons he loved her. "Has the food arrived yet?"

"Yeah, it got here ten minutes ago," Clint replied, not completely believing Pepper's lie but knowing not to push her further. "Rhodey's here too."

"Platypus!" Tony exclaimed as they walked into the living room. Everyone was sitting in the living room: Bruce deeply engrossed in a book, Steve, Natasha, and Thor chatting with Rhodey, and Jane playing with Asgeir on the floor.

"Tony, how you been?" Rhodey asked, getting up to greet them. "You know I was a little surprised when I managed to make it all the way to New York; I figured you'd find a way to blow it up before I got here."

"Yeah, well Pepper and the Avengers tend to prevent some of the bigger explosions," Tony laughed.

"You shoulda seen the explosion in the lab last month," Steve laughed.

"And Pepper, you're looking gorgeous as always. I see Tony's insanity hasn't managed to steal the glow from your skin."

"I might be immune for Tony's particular brand of craziness after all these years," Pepper replied, hugging him. "We haven't seen you in forever; why don't you come out to New York more often to see us?"

"You know how it is with the military; I gotta go where they send me. You guys need to come back out to Malibu sometime so we can all hang out like old times," Rhodey replied.

"We'll have to bring the whole band of merry men along," Tony laughed. "We're sort of a package deal now."

"The more, the merrier. That big house of yours has more than enough bedrooms."

"We'll plan a vacation," Pepper said.

"Yes, but for now it's time to eat some dinner," Tony replied. "Pep ordered Italian food."

"Aw man, I haven't had Italian in forever," Rhodey said happily.

"Wait, before we all eat Pepper has a secret she wants to tell us," Clint said, smiling mischievously.

Pepper could feel herself blush from her neck to her hairline as everyone's eyes turned toward her. _'Stupid spy assassin,'_ she thought. She glanced at Tony to see him glaring daggers at Clint. "Well this wasn't planned," Pepper whispered to him.

"Stupid Robin Hood had to go ruin my big plan," Tony muttered. Pepper shuddered as she wondered what Tony's big plan was; maybe Clint's big mouth was a blessing in disguise. "Well I didn't plan for this. What do you wanna do?"

"Me?"

"Yeah you," Tony replied. "I know you wanted to do this a certain way and I'm pretty sure Katniss has ruined it for the most part so how do you wanna do it? Ball's in your court."

"Did they forget we're sitting right here?" Steve asked as they watched Tony and Pepper talk quietly between themselves.

"I think I know what this is about," Jane said softly, a knowing smile lighting up her face.

"I think I'm just gonna say it. I mean you took it pretty well, semantics aside," Pepper decided.

"I took it the way any guy would have taken it; you're the one that freaked out," Tony replied.

Pepper rolled her eyes, turning to face everyone. "What the hell is going on?" Rhodey asked. "You're not dying again, right Tony?"

"No, no, no," Tony replied. "Far from it. The exact opposite as a matter of fact."

"Everyone, Tony and I are having a baby!" Pepper said excitedly.

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Don't you guys just hate when i leave you with a cliffhanger? Reviews please


	6. Announcements and Celebrations

Readers, I am super super super super happy. Why are you so happy you may ask? I PUBLISHED MY BOOK YESTERDAY! Now not only am I a fanfiction author, I'm an actual author too ^_^ If any of you guys have a kindle, you should check out my book, We're Just Friends, by Nervana Singh.

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"Everyone, Tony and I are having a baby!" Pepper said excitedly.

"What!" everyone exclaimed, their expressions varying degrees of shock.

"Auntie Pepper said she's having a baby," three-year-old Asgeir said calmly, never looking away from his tower of blocks.

Pepper and Tony began to laugh loudly, tears rolling down their cheeks as everyone watched them in amazement. "Little A, have I ever told you how much I love you?" Tony said as his laughing finally subsided. "Everyone's frozen in shock and it's the kid that manages to coherent."

Tony's words seemed to wake everyone out of their shock as they began to offer their congratulations. "I always knew you two would end up together in the end," Rhodey said, hugging Pepper and Tony, "just never thought there would be a third person in your little love fest. I call dibs on being godfather."

"We'll see about that, Platypus," Tony replied happily.

"Man of Iron and Lady Pepper, my congratulations to you on this most joyous occasion!" Thor said, grabbing them both in a bone crushing hug. "Tis truly a blessing to have a babe of your own; now you shall have a little hand to hold in your own."

"I knew something was up," Jane said as she lifted Asgeir onto her hip.

"How'd you know?" Pepper asked curiously. "Did Tony tell you?"

"No, Tony actually managed to keep this a secret. Asgeir helped give it away."

"Asgeir? How'd he know?" Tony asked.

"Haven't you guys noticed the way he's been plastered to Pepper's side every time she's in the living room?" Jane asked. "He's been doing that for the past two months; every time Pepper sits on the couch Asgeir is crawling into her lap or cuddling against her side. Once Clint said you had a secret, I knew what it was."

"Our little nephew is smarter than all of us put together," Natasha said, ruffling Asgeir's hair. "Congratulations you two; it'll be great to have another baby in the house."

"You and Robin should get started on making your own little assassin babies," Tony teased.

"I don't know if kids are in the cards for us, Stark," Clint replied. "But I'm happy for you guys too. I can't believe you guys are gonna have a baby."

"I don't think any of us can believe they're having a baby," Steve interjected. "But you guys are gonna make great parents."

"Coming from you, that's a very high compliment Capsicle," Tony said, shaking Steve's hand.

"Are you sure you're ready for a little Tony?" Bruce asked Pepper jokingly.

"Ready or not, the baby's gonna happen," Pepper laughed. "I'm surprised Tony managed to keep the news from you actually. I was sure he was going to be all Science Bro solidarity and spill the secret."

Bruce chuckled slightly at how well Pepper knew Tony. "You know he'd do anything to make you happy," Bruce said. "I'm happy for both of you."

"Come friends! We must feast in honor of the coming babe; there may still be a bottle of the mead I brought from Asgard," Thor said loudly.

"That's what I'm talking bout, Goldilocks," Tony said, wrapping his arm around Pepper's waist affectionately. "It's time to celebrate."

_'This is gonna end well,'_ Pepper thought as they all walked toward the dining room table, glasses being taken out of the bar.

* * *

"Come on, Tony; you gotta work with me," Pepper muttered as she attempted to guide Tony to their bedroom, his arm slung across her shoulder. The impromptu party was wonderful, Pepper had to admit. It was low-key like she wanted but still had the celebration feel to it. Everyone was excited about her and Tony's baby, amplifying her happiness. But the Asgardian mead led to a series of drinking games, which Thor won of course. Why the boys kept attempting to outdrink Thor, she would never know. Not only was the mead stronger than any alcohol on Earth, Thor was a god who grew up drinking the stuff. They never stood a chance. Which lead to Pepper and the girls escorting their drunken males to their respective rooms. "Just a little farther, Tony."

"You got it, Pep," Tony slurred. "Ya know, I think the an-announcement went good, you think?"

"Yes, I think it went very well," Pepper replied, pushing open their bedroom. She shuffled slowly over to the bed, dumping Tony unceremoniously onto the bed. Tony wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her onto the bed with him. "Tony, let me go," Pepper laughed, swatting at his arm.

"Nope," Tony replied, nuzzling his face against her neck. Tony sighed softly as he pressed a kiss to Pepper's neck. "I let you g-get away for too too too long; I'm not letting go now."

Pepper smiled, her eyes closing as Tony covered her neck with kisses. She slowly ran her fingers through his hair, enjoying the smooth texture. "I won't be going anywhere, Tony."

"You better not," Tony said, leaning up on his elbow to look at her. "You've got my li-little iron man growing inside of you. Wanna know something, Pep?"

"Sure, Tony," Pepper replied, smiling slightly. She loved how childlike he got when he was drunk. He was always more honest with her when he was drunk; she knew that since she first started working for him. She never knew what would come out of his mouth, but she knew it was going to be the truth.

"I never thought I'd have a family," Tony said, his eyes becoming glassy. "Not after Mom and Dad died. I kept telling myself I didn't want one. I c-couldn't see myself getting married or having kids or an-anything. I thought it was just gonna be me." Tony smiled slightly, the confident smirk Pepper knew so well covering up the scars of the past. "But I'm glad to have a family with you. I'm glad you're my family, Pep." Tony flopped onto his back, closing his eyes.

"I've always been your family, Tony. Always have, always will be," Pepper said, kissing his cheek softly. She laughed softly as she heard Tony snore quietly. _'Dead asleep already. That was fast.'_

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I love a drunken Tony, the thought of him is hilarious. Reviews please, tell me what you guys wanna see!


	7. Morning Coffee and Stepping Up: 12 weeks

One of my reviewers mentioned they wanted to see a little more of Steve so here we are with a Steve chapter! Enjoy.

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Pepper walked quietly through the Tower, heading for the kitchen and the pot of coffee she knew Jarvis had brewed and waiting there for her. _'Jarvis really is Tony's greatest creation,' _Pepper thought as she made her way through the empty living room, her heels clicking quietly against the marble floors.

It was just after seven in the morning; everyone was still sleeping in their rooms. But she was Pepper Potts and she had a full schedule that unfortunately began with extracting herself from her husband's arms and jumping into the shower at six am. Even though she woke up at such an early hour, she was running behind schedule, something she hated. She went through three different outfits before finally finding something she deemed presentable to wear. Her stomach was beginning to round; a baby bump was definitely visible, limiting her wardrobe choices. It was hard enough to get through the paparazzi into Stark Industries in the morning; they would go into a feeding frenzy if they found out she was pregnant, something she wasn't ready for.

"Morning Pepper," Steve said, looking up from his newspaper as she walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning Steve," she replied, pouring herself a steaming cup of coffee. She sighed happily as she inhaled the heavenly scent, taking a tentative sip. "How was your workout?"

"It was okay," Steve said with a shrug. "Should you be drinking coffee? I thought it wasn't good for expecting mothers."

"I'm allowed one cup of coffee a day so I'm going to savor mine. What are you going to do today?"

"Not sure, probably just wander around the city. There's so much to see still," Steve replied.

"New York is the best city in the world," Pepper said. "It makes being away from Malibu just a little bit better. You should go see a Broadway show if you have the time. They're absolutely spectacular. Tony took me to one last year and it was amazing, even if he complained through the entire second half," she laughed.

"Sounds like Tony alright," Steve laughed.

Steve smiled slightly as he looked at Pepper. He guessed it wasn't just a saying; Pepper really was glowing. She seemed happier than he had ever seen her, even if he couldn't exactly name many times when she seemed unhappy. It was as if her happiness levels got an adrenaline boost. And she wasn't the only one feeling baby bliss. Steve noticed Tony seemed a little happier too, a little calmer. Thinking back over the past 8 weeks or so, he realized there hadn't been any explosions from the laboratory. _'Guess he's being a little more careful with a kid on the way,' _he thought. The thought of Tony with a kid still shocked Steve. He could always picture Pepper with a baby; she was a mother hen to everyone who lived in the Tower. Her holding a baby wasn't a shocking image. But the image of Tony Stark, the man who flew around in a metal suit protecting the earth, the man who blew up his workshop on a bi-monthly basis, the man he originally thought didn't have a heart, holding a baby, well the idea just didn't make sense to him._ 'Then again I though the same thing about Howard,' _Steve thought. _'And he had Tony. Maybe the Stark men are just full of mysteries.'_

"Aren't you gonna eat some breakfast?" Steve asked. "You're eating for two now."

"Yeah, but this little holy terror isn't fond of me eating breakfast," Pepper said affectionately, briefly resting her hand on her stomach. "I'll eat something a little bit later."

Steve's brow furrowed a bit in concern, but he nodded. He knew it wasn't unusual for pregnant women to have a hard time holding down meals, but he was also a firm believer in eating breakfast before going out to face the day. "Just make sure you really do eat something. We all know how easily you can get wrapped in your work."

"Yes, dad," Pepper laughed.

"I'm really happy for you and Tony," Steve said. "It's gonna be nice to have another little kid running around the Tower."

"Are you ready to be an uncle all over again?"

"Of course, I love kids," Steve replied. "Are you and Tony ready to be parents?"

"I honestly don't know," Pepper said simply. "We never really talked about having kids or anything and yet here we are expecting a kid. Ready or not, we're gonna be parents."

"You guys will be fine; I'm su-"

"Pepper," Tony called as he walked through the living room.

"In the kitchen," Pepper replied, putting her empty coffee mug in the sink.

"What are you doing up so early?" Tony asked as he walked into the kitchen. "Morning Captain."

"Some of us have work to do, Tony," Pepper replied, rolling her eyes. "I'm actually running a little late today; I need to leave."

"You've got to take things a little easier, Pep. Stress won't be good for the baby," he said, concerned.

"I'm not that stressed," Pepper said with a shrug. "And I can't not go into work for the next six months; there'd be nothing left by the time I have the baby."

"I have an idea. How bout I go into work with you?" Tony suggested.

Steve raised his eyebrows at Tony's words. He couldn't remember the last time Tony went into work, let alone the last time he went into work willingly. Usually it took Pepper threatening him to get him dressed and out of the house; even then they were usually late.

"Are you sure about that?" Pepper asked.

"Sure. My name's on the building, might as well visit the place once in a while. I can help you with the papers or something. Just give me," Tony glanced at his watch quickly. "Gimme twenty minutes and I'll be ready," he said, walking away.

"That's….different," Pepper said, smiling through her surprise. Steve nodded, getting up to put his empty dishes in the sink. Steve didn't have the slightest doubt Tony was gonna be good dad. If he was already stepping up to the plate with the baby only three months old, he'd be superdad by the time Pepper gave birth. Steve smiled happily, the little family would be perfectly fine.

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Aren't they all so cute? What else do you guys wanna see? What'd you think of the chapter? Reviews please!


	8. A Day at the Office

_'This is….nice,'_ Pepper thought as she typed busily on her computer. She had managed to get to work after waiting thirty minutes for Tony to get ready, which was much faster than she thought he would have been. They had gotten out of the Tower quickly enough, but Tony appearing at Stark Industries sent the paparazzi into a frenzy. Pepper couldn't figure out what they all got so worked up about; the company was called STARK Industries after all. But ever since Tony became Ironman, the papers followed him more closely than ever. Which was saying something since they examined him with a magnifying glass before.

Still despite the pandemonium that was brought on by her and Tony showing up at work together, it had been a pretty smooth morning at work. Pepper expected Tony to be his normal, hyper active, constantly interrupting self while she attempted to do work like he did when she was at home, but he was surprisingly calm. Mostly due to the fact that he fell asleep on the couch in her office for most of the morning, his soft snoring blending with the quiet clicking of her computer keys. After he slept for about two hours, he woke up and attempted to help her with some of the work like he promised. It was a lot easier to have Tony signed the papers as she read them in the office instead of lugging them home and having to chase him down with the papers. He even went to one of her morning meetings for her, though she tried not to think about why he was back within twenty minutes.

"Hey Pep," Tony said from his seat on the couch as he played with his tablet. "Did you know our kid is the size of a lime right now?"

"What?" Pepper asked, looking up from the contract she was reading. "What are you talking about?"

Tony rolled his eyes as if she missed something obvious. "The baby, our baby, is the size of a lime right now according to this website."

"Are you reading baby websites?" Pepper said teasingly.

"Well there's nothing else to do here," Tony huffed. "It's so boring; I don't know how you spend so much time in the office."

"Well I canceled the marching band that usually comes in to entertain me," Pepper said sarcastically. "Otherwise it's a regular party while I spend hours sitting here reading contracts and going to board meetings."

"It's always so rewarding to know my sarcasm has rubbed off on you after so many years," Tony said, smirking. Pepper rolled her eyes, throwing her Stark Industries stress ball at Tony's head.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, standing up quickly as the stress ball flew back toward her. Her palms slammed into the desk as she stood, her head swimming. _'Too fast,'_ she thought as her vision grew fuzzy momentarily.

"Pepper?" Tony called, rushing to her side. "Are you okay?" He slowly eased her back into her seat, uneasy at how pale her face had gotten.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Pepper said, taking a slow, deep breath. "I think I just got up too quickly; the head rush made me feel a little faint. "Probably should eat something now."

"You haven't eaten all day?" Tony asked incredulously. "I thought you were eating while you were waiting the twenty-"

"Thirty," Pepper interrupted.

"Again with the semantics. What did you do while you waited the _thirty _minutes for me to be ready?" Tony asked.

Pepper shrugged her shoulders, feeling silly. She really should have eaten something by now; it was almost two. "Answered a few emails, talked to Steve."

"And Mr. All-American didn't try to get you to eat?"

"He tried, but he understood when I said it wouldn't stay in my stomach. I'm fine, Tony, really I am," Pepper said, trying to ease his worry. "I just need to eat some food and I'll be perfect."

"Pepper Potts-Stark being a little less than responsible, I never thought I'd see the day," Tony replied, smiling slightly. _'Well that's a good sign,' _Pepper thought. Tony helped her slowly to her feet, walking her over to the couch. "Now we are going to have lunch and you're not allowed to go back to work until I'm satisfied with how much you've eaten."

"How about no?" Pepper said, raising an eyebrow. "I will eat a full meal and then I'll go back to work."

"That works too," Tony replied, shrugging. "What's your assistant's name?"

"It's Anita; why?"

"ANITA!" Tony bellowed, laughing as Pepper pushed him away from her. Tony chuckled as the short, blond-haired woman rushed into the office, managing to move quickly despite her five-inch heels.

"You called, Mr. Stark," she said breathlessly.

"Tony, we have an intercom for a reason," Pepper said dryly. "Anita, I'm really sorry about that. It appears Mr. Stark has completely lost his mind."

"I have not," Tony said in mock anger. "Anyway Anita, I need you to do something for me. Go call Di Napoli and order-"

"They don't deliver," Pepper pointed out.

"Tell them you're placing an order for Tony Stark and his insanely beautiful wife, Pepper, and you would greatly appreciate it if they could deliver. Order me the Chicken Pizzaiola and for Pepper get the…what was it that you got last time that you liked so much, Pep?" he asked, turning toward Pepper. "Was it the lobster ravioli?"

"Yes, it was the lobster ravioli," Pepper replied, surprised Tony remembered such a small detail. They hadn't been to Di Napoli in years.

"Get a lobster ravioli for Pepper and tell them to put a rush on it; we're dying of starvation," Tony said with a smile.

"Right away, Mr. Stark," Anita said, rushing out of the office.

"She seems nice," Tony said as the office door closed.

"I think you nearly gave her a heart attack with your screaming," Pepper laughed, leaning against Tony.

"She'll survive," Tony said dismissively as he wrapped an arm around Pepper's shoulder, kissing her head. "Do you remember the last time we went to Di Napoli?"

"How could I forget? It was when Dad came to visit," Pepper replied.

* * *

How was this chapter guys? Anything you liked/disliked? I've gotten a few requests for Pepper/Natasha chapters so I'll def write at least one of those. Anything else you guys wanna see?

Next chapter: when Tony met Mr. Potts!


	9. Poppa Potts

Hey readers, sorry it's taken me so long to post this chapter. I kinda have/had writers block. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long to be posted. Anyway, Tony met Pepper's dad before Tony became Ironman fyi.

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Tony walked down the hall to his assistant's office, whistling softly. He was bored after the last meeting she forced him to attend an hour ago. It was time for a little pay back. His brow furrowed in confusion as Pepper's laugh drifted through her slightly opened door, accompanied by an unfamiliar male voice. _'Boyfriend maybe? Does Pepper even have a boyfriend?'_ he wondered._ 'She can't have a boyfriend; she's always with me.' _Rationally speaking, he knew Pepper was a fully-grown woman who could date whomever she wanted, but Tony didn't like the idea of sharing her with any other guy. _'Time to break this party up,' _he said, pushing her door open. "Hey Pepper, I need-" Tony paused as he looked at the man sitting on the couch with Pepper._ 'Definitely not her boyfriend.'_

"Tony, this is my dad, Hank Potts," Pepper said, getting to her feet. "Dad, this is Tony Stark."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Stark," Hank said, extending his hand toward him.

Tony developed an immediate respect for the man standing in front of him. Anyone who could raise a person to be as amazing as Pepper was deserved his respect and admiration; he knew he would be lost without Pepper. Tony could instantly see the similarities between Pepper and her father. He had the same deep blue eyes as Pepper, the same vibrant red hair. He didn't have the sprinkling of freckles across his nose and cheeks, but Tony assumed Pepper must have gotten that from her mother. "It's nice to meet you too; please just call me Tony," he replied, shaking the man's hand.

"You needed something, Tony?" Pepper asked, reminding him of the words he had utterd when he walked into the office.

"It's not important," Tony replied with a shrug. "Why didn't you tell me your dad was gonna be in town? I woulda made you take the day off."

"I decided to fly in and surprise her," Hank explained, throwing an arm around Pepper's shoulder affectionately. "I hope you don't mind me taking up a bit of Virginia's work time."

"Of course not. I keep telling Pep she needs to relax and take a day off once in a while. Why not today?" Tony said, turning toward Pepper. "Pepper, I'm officially kicking you out of the office for today."

"But Tony, there's a lot of wo-" Pepper attempted to say.

"No buts, I'm the boss," Tony said, smirking. "Take the rest of today and tomorrow off. Go take your dad out for lunch; put it on the Stark card."

"That's really kind of you, Tony," Hank said, smiling happily. "Thank you very much."

"Anytime, Mr. Potts. I couldn't run this show without Pepper. I owe you one for having such a smart daughter."

Pepper walked to her desk to grab her bag. She kissed Tony's cheek quickly as she returned to her father's side. "Thank you, Tony," she said, her bright blue eyes shining with happiness.

"Why don't you come with us?" Hank suggested.

Tony was surprised by his offer, leaving him a little flustered. "What? No, I wouldn't wanna intrude on your time with Pepper."

"Nonsense," Hank replied. "A man's gotta eat, hasn't he? Might as well eat with us. Come on, son."

"Yeah, Tony. Come with us," Pepper agreed.

Tony felt his lips quirk up involuntarily as Hank called him son. It had been years since anyone had called him son. It felt nice to have people want to be around him, to have lunch with him just because.

* * *

"You think he would have been as excited?" Tony asked, covering his mouth as he yawned.

"Who? Dad?" Pepper asked. "He woulda been over the moon with happiness. He always did say he wanted grandkids."

"Even with me as the father?"

"I think he would have been even more excited because you were the father," Pepper laughed. "Dad absolutely adored you. He would always ask how you were whenever he would call, what crazy things you were doing, if you were looking after yourself. Dad really cared about you; I think he always wanted us to end up together but he didn't want to say anything."

"Why didn't he say anything?" Tony asked. While Tony wasn't usually considered to be old-fashioned, he was a little bothered that he couldn't ask Hank for his daughter's hand in marriage. The best he could do was visit his grave and promise to love and cherish Pepper for the rest of his life.

"You know how I am about professionalism. A boss and his secretary dating isn't exactly acceptable."

"Acceptable is overrated," Tony replied. "And it didn't exactly stop us."

"Yeah, it just took us years to end up together."

"Hey, that's your fault, not mine. You shot me down before the press conference."

"And then you went and announced you were Ironman. I had my hands more than filled with things to do. Plus you weren't ready."

"I was so ready," Tony said childishly. He smiled softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her hair. "I have been ready for you, Pep."

"Really?" she asked, smiling as she leaned closer to him.

"Abso-"

"Lunch is here," Anita announced, walking into the room with the food.

Pepper jerked away from Tony, smoothing her shirt. "Thank you, Anita."

"Yeah, thanks a lot," Tony muttered.

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Reviews please!


	10. A Mission: 15 weeks

Tony groaned as the alarms began blaring throughout the Tower, waking all of the residents. "You've got to be kidding me," Tony muttered, covering his face with a pillow. "I'm really beginning to regret installing that alarm." After all the Avengers decided to live in the Tower, Tony installed a special alarm system that allowed Fury to alert them all whenever Earth was in danger and needed its protectors. It was a good idea, just not when they wanted to enjoy their sleep.

"You didn't regret it the first three times it woke us in the middle of the night," Pepper replied, rubbing her eyes. After a long day at the office, the alarm system was an unwelcome disturbance. "Jarvis, what time is it?"

"It is currently 2:35 A.M., Ms. Potts," the AI replied. "Would you like me to turn off the alarm system?"

"That would be lovely, Jarvis. Thank you." Pepper sighed in relief as the incessant beeping finally shut off; any longer and it would have given her a headache. "Tony, you have to get up," Pepper said, shoving at his shoulder gently.

"Don't wanna," Tony replied, his voice muffled.

"Doesn't matter if you want to. Earth needs its mightiest heroes to protect it. You don't want Natasha to come in here and get you, do you? Remember what happened last time?"

Tony sat up immediately, jumping out of bed and walking to the bathroom. "Stupid super spy assassin pouring a damn bottle of cold water on my face," Tony muttered as he closed the bathroom door.

Pepper yawned, stretching her arms over head. After laying in bed for another moment, she rolled to her feet, walking out of her room and into the hallway. The Avengers were slowly trickling into the living room. Natasha and Clint were there before she was, standing in the kitchen checking their weapons as they waited for the pot of coffee to brew. Pepper always wondered how they managed to get ready so quickly. Natasha's suit did not look like the easiest thing to get into, especially not while you were in a rush. She supposed the speed came from years of practice.

Thor and Jane came into the living room as Pepper settled herself onto the couch, her hands resting on her slightly rounded stomach. "Good morning to you, Lady Pepper," Thor said softly, glancing at his sleeping son in Jane's arms.

"Not sure how good it is at two in the morning, but morning Thor, Jane," Pepper replied. "Did the alarm wake my nephew?"

"I'm surprised you didn't hear him screaming," Jane replied, sitting on the couch next to Pepper. "The alarm scared him half to death."

"Indeed, I shall have to speak to the Man of Iron about his alarm system," Thor said. "I cannot have it disturbing Asgeir's sleep."

"Poor kid never stood a chance for sleeping through the alarm," Steve said as he walked into the living room, shield in hand. "I'm pretty sure everyone within a five block radius heard the alarm go off. Where's Bruce and Tony?"

"I'm right here," Bruce said as he joined the group.

"And Tony's always fashionably late," Clint said, handing out thermoses of coffee to everyone.

"I knew I should have gone to wake him," Natasha muttered, sitting on the arm of the couch.

"No need to get your catsuit in a twist," Tony said, coming down the hall in his Ironman suit. "I'm here, now where's my coffee?"

"Drink this and shut up," Natasha said, handing him a thermos. "Helicopter's waiting on the roof. We'll see you guys later," she said, ruffling Asgeir's hair gently before heading to the roof. Everyone followed her, saying their goodbyes before they went up to the roof.

"You'll be careful right?" Pepper said, resting her hands on Tony's chest.

"Of course, aren't I always?" Tony replied, carefully placing his arms on her hips.

"Be careful," she said seriously. "You've got a pregnant wife waiting for you at home. She doesn't need you getting hurt."

"You got it, Pep," he said, kissing her softly. "I'll try to be home by dinner, okay? You can have Jarvis give you the play-by-play from my suit if you get worried."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Pepper. I better go before the band of merry men…and woman get antsy." Pepper watched Tony fly away, sighing softly.

"He'll be okay," Jane said from behind her, shifting Asgeir in her arms. "They'll all be fine."

* * *

Pepper spent her entire workday with her Bluetooth in her ear, listening to the occasional battle update from Jarvis. She was on edge the moment Tony left her, unable to get back to sleep even though it was two in the morning. She managed to distract herself with work, but she could feel her lack of sleep catching up to her. Still she powered through the stack of papers on her desk, desperately wishing for a cup of coffee as she sipped on her green tea.

"Ms. Potts?" Jarvis said from her earpiece.

"Yes, Jarvis," she replied, her eyes still scanning through the email on her computer screen.

"I have lost contact with the suit's interface."

"Wait, what?" Pepper asked, looking away from the screen. "What does that mean?"

"A significant amount of damage has been done to the helmet, destroying the link I have to the suit and the battle," Jarvis explained.

"Is Tony okay?" she asked anxiously. "Do you know? Can you find out?"

"I'm sorry, Ms. Potts, but I have no way to learn the condition of Mr. Stark."

Pepper felt her anxiety and worry jump another level at Jarvis' words. She could have handled not getting the play by play from the battle, but she could not deal with the possibility of the helmet being damaged. The helmet that protected the head of her brilliant husband could _not_ be damaged. _'Tony's gonna be fine, it's nothing to worry about. He'll be fine,' _Pepper thought, trying to calm her quickening breathing. She gasped, doubling over as her stomach was speared with pain. Her arms wrapped around her middle as if to ward off the pain. "Jarvis," Pepper gasped, hoping the earpiece was still on.

"Yes, Ms. Potts?"

"Call Phil," she said through her clenched teeth. "Tell him to come now. I need help."

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*dramatic music* is Pepper gonna be okay? Will Phil get there in time? What's going on with Tony and the other Avengers? Reviews please


	11. Panic and Darkness

_'That's gonna hurt in the morning,'_ Tony thought, his vision blurring. What he initially hoped would only be a horrible headache quickly evolved to at least a mild concussion. Not only his head ached, but his entire body from being knocked out of the sky.

"Tony," Bruce said, his face appearing above his. "Tony, can you hear me?" Bruce asked worriedly. Watching Tony get thrown around like a rag doll scared him immensely and angered the Hulk beyond all belief. Even Hulk felt a trickle of fear as Tony crashed into the hard earth, his helmet breaking off from the force. "Tony, talk to me."

"The light's too bright," Tony whined as Bruce checked his eyes with the penlight. "I'm fine, just a headache."

"You just got thrown around like a football," Steve said from the other side of him. "Let Bruce check you out."

"Yes, Man of Iron," Thor said. "We must ensure you are well before we may move you. The battle is already won."

"So Tony, how do you feel?" Bruce asked, slipping into doctor mode.

"Dizzy," Tony replied honestly. "And a little nauseous. My body feels like I've been run over by a truck. Can I get up now?"

"Yeah, I think you just have a concussion. We'll get you properly checked out when-"

"We need to go back to New York now," Natasha said urgently, interrupting Bruce.

"What's the rush?" Clint asked as he helped Tony to his feet.

"Pepper's gone to the hospital; we need to go now."

* * *

Phil wasn't surprised as easily as most people. After working for years for a super secret sector of the government, being the handler of two of the world's most dangerous assassins, organizing a team of super heroes and still managing to keep a vast majority of it a secret, the "I am Ironman" fiasco being the only exception, nothing really phased you anymore. That being said Phil was shocked when Jarvis called him, telling him that Pepper needed his help immediately and giving him directions. He broke a large number of traffic laws as he sped over to Stark Industries, his mind in overdrive.

The mere fact that Jarvis called him, not Pepper to say something was wrong, sent up warning flags in his head. He considered Pepper a good friend, the only sane friend in a group of superheroes with their own cornucopia of issues. "Pepper?" Phil called as he walked into her office.

"Here," she called out weakly from behind her desk. "Help p-please."

Phil's eyes widened slightly as he found her hunched over behind her desk, her face streaked with tears. "Don't worry Pepper; I'm here now. What's wrong?" he said as he went to her side.

"My stomach, it hurts so much, Phil. I don't know what's wrong."

"Let's get you to the doctor," he said calmly, helping her up from the floor.

"I can't lose my baby, Phil. I can't," she said, a sob escaping her lips.

Phil guessed that made twice today that the universe managed to surprise him.

* * *

"I need to find Pepper now," Tony said, rushing through the SHIELD facility toward the medical bay. The Avengers barely managed to convince Tony to get on the helicopter instead of trying to fly back to New York. Even if it took longer than it would have flying his suit, they wouldn't have to worry about him losing consciousness without Jarvis there to put the suit on autopilot. The helicopter was the safer albeit slower option.

"Tony, slow down; you have a concussion," Steve said, trying to slow him down. He was a little surprised by how quickly Tony could move. "You need to calm down a bit."

"How about I tell you your _pregnant wife_ is in the hospital and you see how calm you can be," Tony said angrily. "Until I see Pepper is okay with my own two eyes I will _not_ be calm."

"Leave him be, Captain," Thor said. "Friend Stark is understandably distressed. He has not one, but two people he cares for in danger. They are his family and he shall be lost without him."

The rest of the Avengers followed silently behind Tony, all of them equally worried over Pepper and the baby. Pepper was an irreplaceable part of the little family the Avengers had become; the thought of losing her scared them all. Finally they arrived at the room where they were told Pepper was staying.

"Phil!" Tony called out to the agent standing outside of the room. "Where's Pepper? Is she okay? Is the baby okay?" he asked frantically. His head pounded, his heart felt like it was gonna burst and his stomach was in knots. Two out of three he decided to blame on his concussion.

"She's fine, she's fine," Phil said, trying to calm Tony. "She had Jarvis call me when she started experiencing some stomach pains. I rushed over to her office and brought her here for the doctors to check out. The doctors say she and the baby are both fine, nothing is wrong with them; although they don't really know what started the pain in the first place. They told her to take off from work for the next day or two and to come back if she feels any pain. Your family is fine, Stark."

"Oh thank god," Tony sighed in relief, the tension leaving his body. "Can I go in and see her? Is she sleeping or anything?"

"Go on it; she's waiting for you. I'm just on guard duty," Phil said, moving from the doorway.

Tony quickly opened the door, his racing heart finally relaxing as his eyes landed on Pepper, his Pepper sitting on the hospital bed. She looked okay to him: her eyes were bright, her cheeks were flushed with a healthy color. She was okay.

"Tony," she said, smiling at him.

"Pepper," he said, taking a step forward. Then it all went dark.

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Aren't I a horrible person? Reviews please.


	12. Pepper hates long days

"Tony!" Pepper cried, leaping off the bed as Tony collapsed to the ground. The other Avengers quickly crowded into the room, concerned over his teammate.

"I told him to slow down, " Steve muttered worriedly. "Someone get a doctor over here!"

"Tony, Tony, can you here me?" Bruce called, carefully rolling him onto his back.

"What's wrong with him?" Pepper asked, panicking as she knelt by Tony's side. "Tony, honey, open your eyes please." Jesus Christ Pepper could feel a migraine coming on; first she was worried about losing her baby, now her husband was passing out and nearly cracked his head open on the floor.

"He'll be okay, Pepper; don't worry. Don't worry too much," Bruce said quickly after the look Pepper gave him. "Tony just has a mild concussion."

"_Just has_? What do you mean just has? A concussion is a serious thing! What would be a cause for real alarm then, a brain hemorrhage?"

"Come on, Pepper; let's get you up off the floor," Clint said, offering her his hand. If they didn't move her soon and Tony didn't wake up, she was gonna have a serious panic attack.

"No," Pepper said, shaking her head. "Not until Tony-"

"Holy shit, my head," Tony muttered, his eyes slowly opening. "What the hell happened?"

"Tony!" Pepper exclaimed, carefully placing her hand against his cheek.

"You gave us quite a scare, Friend Stark," Thor said, visibly relieved that Tony regained consciousness.

"You passed out and nearly cracked your skull open when you hit the floor," Pepper said angrily. Now that she knew Tony was gonna be okay, she was angry as all hell. "What the hell are you doing running around with a concussion? What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking my pregnant wife got rushed to the hospital and I had no freaking idea what was going on," Tony replied with equal sharpness.

"Idiot," Natasha muttered, rolling her eyes.

Pepper's eyes changed to blue ice instantly. "Alright then," she said calmly. "I can see that you're perfectly fine and you're in capable hands; I'm going home." Pepper pushed herself off of the floor, briskly walking out of the room.

"Wait, Pepper," Tony called, banging his fist against the floor after she walked out of the room. "Shit, Red can you go after her please?" he asked, looking up at Natasha. "Just go with her and make sure she's okay."

"You got it," Natasha replied, walking out of the room.

"You should not have spoken to Lady Pepper in such a manner," Thor chided him.

"I know, I really screwed up," Tony sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. His head was pounding and all he wanted to do was sleep for a million years.

"Come on, Stark; let's get you off the floor so you can make up with your wife," Clint said, carefully helping him off the floor.

* * *

"So this is definitely not the Tower," Natasha said as she followed Pepper into an apartment on the other side of Manhattan. The apartment was well furnished, but a very light layer of dust coated the kitchen counter; someone owned the apartment, but they hadn't been there recently. Pepper hadn't said a word since they left SHIELD headquarters, not even when Natasha slipped silently into the passenger seat of her car.

"Yeah, this is my apartment," Pepper said, placing her purse on the counter and taking the sheets off of the couch. She sighed, sitting down on the couch and rubbing her hands across her face.

"Your apartment?" Natasha said, sitting next to her.

"Yeah, for when Tony drives me insane and I don't wanna go to the office to avoid him. I haven't been here in…almost eight months I think."

"Really hope you don't have any food in your fridge," Natasha replied, wrinkling her nose.

"No, just some Vitamin Water I think," Pepper said, leaning her head back against the couch. "I'm exhausted."

"Getting rushed to the hospital in pain will do that to you," Natasha replied sympathetically. "That and being married to Tony."

"He drives me insane!" Pepper said angrily, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I swear sometimes I just want to beat him over the head with my laptop; that's how crazy he drives me."

"Well you're not trying to shoot him so I guess that says something," Natasha said dryly. "He was really worried about you today, Pepper. He didn't know what was going on with you or the baby. You really can't blame him for running around with a concussion."

"He's still an idiot," Pepper said, lying on the couch. "He's an idiot who could have gotten himself killed today."

"I can honestly say he wasn't intentionally putting himself in danger," Natasha said.

"That doesn't change the fact that he could have gotten killed today, Natasha. The fact that he got hurt bad enough for his helmet to get broken scares me to death. What am I supposed to do if something happens to him?" she whispered, placing her hand on her stomach. "What are we supposed to do?"

Natasha couldn't argue with Pepper. Pepper was right to be worried; the Avengers knew any of them could be killed on a mission. _'Another reason not to have kids besides not having a husband,'_ Natasha thought. "Listen Pep, I'm gonna call Tony and tell him where you are and then I'm gonna leave. Give him a chance to talk to you and explain, okay?"

Pepper nodded, closing her eyes. _'Why is this such a long day?'_

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Next chapter: The dramatic(possibly) reunion of Tony and Pepper! Reviews please


	13. So where does that leave us?

_Hey readers. Sorry this chapter is so short, but I have three midterms this week so I need to study and get work done. I promise my next chapter will be longer but I figured you guys wouldn't want to wait forever for another chapter. Let me know what you guys think of this chapter. As for the question of "What happened to Pepper?" I'm going to go with the answer of abdominal pain brought on by immense stress. She thought Tony could have been dead so it's pretty reasonable._

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_'Why does she need to have this apartment?'_ Tony thought, pouting slightly. _'The Tower has lots of room.'_ Tony raised his hand, hesitantly knocking on the door. He knew he screwed up with Pepper, screwed up badly. Fighting wasn't exactly a rare occurrence for them, but it was always over stupid little things and she never left without them talking. Her walking out of SHIELD without him, without talking to him terrified him. What if she decided not to come back to him? What if she decided he wasn't worth all the headaches that came with his life? The thought gnawed at from the moment she walked out of the hospital room.

As he raised his hand to knock again, the door opened to a very tired-looking Pepper. "Uh, hey Pep," Tony said nervously. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," Pepper replied, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She intended to stay awake until Tony showed up so they could talk it through but at some point between Natasha telling her she was gonna call Tony and her actually calling Tony she fell asleep. She didn't even remember Natasha leaving, though her front door was locked. She turned and walked into the apartment, leaving Tony to follow her into the apartment.

"Listen Pepper, I'm so sorry," Tony said, sitting on the couch next to her. He took a deep breath, taking Pepper's hands in his. He took it as a good sign when she laced her fingers with his. _'She can't be that angry with me if she's letting me hold her hands, right?' _"I'm sorry for yelling at you and acting like that. I was just…I was scared Pepper. I didn't know what was going on or what happened to you and the baby."

"How do you think I feel when you go out on missions, Tony?" Pepper asked softly. "When you fly out to save the world and I don't know if you're okay or if you're gonna even come home alive. And most of the time you come home battered and bruised. It scares me Tony."

If Tony didn't feel like crap before, he definitely felt like it now. He knew Pepper worried about him when he went off on a mission, it wasn't like he had a cushy day job-well he kinda did. But it wasn't until today that he understood how scared Pepper was when he went out, when you didn't know if the person you loved more than life itself was okay or not. "I'm really sorry, Pep," Tony said sincerely, staring into her blue eyes.

"I'm sorry; I overreacted earlier," Pepper sighed.

"No you didn't; I was being an ass," Tony replied, pulling her close.

"You were being an ass. But I shouldn't have left you; you had a concussion. How are you feeling? What'd Bruce say?"

"He said I should be okay; I'll have to be woken up every few hours tonight to make sure I'm not dead, but I should be fine," Tony said, shrugging his shoulders.

"I'll be sure to do that then," Pepper replied, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"You will?" Tony asked happily. "You'll come home?"

"Of course I will. What did you think? That I was gonna stay here?" Pepper asked curiously. "This is my little getaway for when there's too much going on. But the Tower is home. I wouldn't have stayed here no matter how angry I was."

"I knew you couldn't stay away from me," Tony said jokingly.

"Don't make me change my mind," Pepper replied, rolling her eyes.

"So where does this leave us? I'm still Ironman," Tony said seriously.

"But you're also going to be a father. Don't forget that Tony Stark. You need to take care of yourself because I have no intention of raising this child alone," Pepper replied.

"Don't worry Pep; that'll never happen," Tony replied, kissing her head.

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Reviews please!


	14. Father to Expecting Father: 18 weeks

Readers, I'm terribly sorry for taking so long to update this story. I got busy with school work and then my muse abandoned me and then I actually had a social life for a little while. But now I've returned to you once again. I'll try to post another chapter today to make up for being gone so long. Hope you guys enjoy the chapter. Reviews are always appreciated!

* * *

"Don't forget we're going to the doctor next week, Tony," Pepper said as she walked to the elevator.

"I won't," Tony replied, not looking up from his tablet as he typed away, creating his next genius invention.

"I'm serious, Tony," Pepper huffed, placing her hands on her hips. Bruce elbowed Tony gently, forcing him to look up at Pepper. "I swear if you forget about the doctor's appointment you will be sleeping in the lab until our child gets here; it's the baby's first ultrasound."

Tony got up from his seat on the couch as Pepper's cheeks flushed from aggravation. "I promise you I won't forget about the appointment; I swear on my honor as Ironman I will be there."

"You better be," Pepper replied, kissing him quickly. "I'll be back in a few hours."

"I'll be here," Tony called, watching as the elevator doors closed in front of her.

"So who wants to bet that Tony forgets the doctor's appointment?" Clint said as he walked out of the kitchen into the living room.

"I will not forget," Tony replied, settling back into his seat on couch.

"I don't know Stark; you don't have the best memory for remembering important things," Steve replied.

"We should spray paint the date on his Ironman suit," Clint said mischievously. "He'll never forget it that way."

"You go anyway near my suit and you'll be shooting twizzlers at bad guys the next time we go into battle," Tony said seriously.

"Tony won't forget," Bruce said, looking up from his book. "It's too important for even Tony to forget; it's his child after all."

"Thanks for the confidence boost," Tony said dryly.

"What shall Friend Stark not forget?" Thor asked, walking into the living room with a tired Asgier in his arms.

"To go for the ultrasound to see the baby," Clint explained. "Pepper made an appointment for next week and we think the odds of him remembering aren't the best."

"Friend Stark shall not forget," Thor said, shaking his head. "Tis too important of an event to be forgotten.

"Since you guys obviously don't appreciate my fabulous company, I'm going to the lab," Tony replied in annoyance, grabbing his tablet and walking to the elevator.

* * *

Tony sat at his desk, aimlessly typing away on his tablet. The blueprint for his latest upgrade to his Ironman suit was open on the screen, waiting for his modifications, but he couldn't focus on it; he kept opening and closing the screen. He couldn't believe he was going with Pepper to her ultrasound, couldn't believe he was going to see his child for the first time. "My child," he said aloud, the words feeling unnatural as they rolled off his tongue. He felt like it was only yesterday that Pepper told him that she was pregnant, that she sat in bed worried about how he would react. It was impossible that Pepper was already 18 weeks pregnant and yet she was; her growing baby bump and ever present glow proved it.

'_How am I supposed to be a dad?'_ Tony wondered, placing his tablet on the desk as he rubbed a hand across his face. _'I know how to be a superhero, how to be a genius, how to be a billionaire. But I don't know how to be a dad.'_ Tony suddenly wished his own father was still alive. Howard wasn't the world's greatest father, but he wasn't a horrible dad to Tony, just easily distracted by his inventions._ 'Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?' _he thought bitterly. He desperately wished for someone, anyone to tell him how to be a father, a good father. The last thing he wanted was to screw up raising his kid.

As if he heard Tony's silent wish, Thor walked carefully down the stairs, Asgeir still cradled in his arms.

"Hey Goldilocks," Tony said as Thor entered the lab. "Shouldn't you put little A down for his nap?"

"I have tried," Thor sighed, leaning against Tony's desk. "Every time I place Asgeir upon his bed, he awakens and refuses to go back to sleep. But the moment I carry him about the Tower, he falls back to sleep. He is a curious child indeed," Thor said affectionately, kissing the top of his head.

"So what brings you down to my neck of the woods?"

"I have come to apologize for Friend Steve and Friend Clint," Thor said seriously.

'_Not what I expected,'_ Tony thought. "Don't worry about it; I'm fine," Tony replied easily.

"Still it was unkind for them to say such things to you and I have informed them of it. You would not forget such an important event; you shall make a fine father."

Tony watched Thor silently for a moment, watching him shift Asgeir to a more comfortable position in his arms. "How do you do it?" Tony asked suddenly, gesturing to Asgeir. Once he began the words quickly flowed from his mouth, conveying his fear and worry. "My dad's been dead for a long time and Pepper's dad died a few years ago and I have no idea what I'm supposed to do or how I'm supposed to raise a kid but I don't want to mess them up. I don't want them drinking scotch straight from the bottle at 18 and I don't want them to be a playboy by 20 and I don't want them to be alone because they're too stubborn and afraid to tell the person they love that they love them. I don't want them to end up like me; I want to be a good dad."

"If your child is half the person you are, that child would be blessed indeed," Thor said, placing a hand on Tony's shoulder. "I did not know how to be a father. My Father gave me advice as did Mother, but I didn't know how to _be_ a father. I did not know how to hold him, I did not know how to change him, I knew nothing. The only thing I knew was that I loved my son above all else, this little being that was made of myself and Jane. I loved him from the moment I knew he existed. Do you love your child, Friend Stark?"

"Of course I do," Tony replied, his heart warming at the thought of his kid.

"Then you shall be a good father," Thor said simply. "You shall make mistakes for no one is perfect. But as long as you love your child, you will be a good father. Lady Pepper shall be there to help you and she is a wise woman indeed."

Tony thought over Thor's words before nodding thoughtfully. "Thanks Thor," Tony said sincerely. "I appreciate the help."

"Tis no trouble at all," Thor said, turning to leave the lab. "I do have one suggestion to make. Talk to your babe at night when you are with Lady Pepper. Jane informed me when she was expecting Asgeir that babes can hear; I'm quite certain your babe would like to hear their father." With that Thor walked out of the lab, leaving Tony to think about his first conversation with his child.

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Thor's a good daddy ^_^ Reviews please


	15. Late night conversations: 19 weeks

Tony stared up at his ceiling, his arc reactor casting a dimmed blue light in the room. _'It's three in the goddamn morning; all I want to do is go to sleep,' _he thought. He rolled onto his side, smiling as his eyes landed on his sleeping wife, her strawberry blonde hair fanned out on the pillow. She rolled off of him a few minutes before, now resting on her back, one arm stretched above her, the other resting on her chest. Tony's eyes drifted down her body, stopping at her exposed stomach. Thor's words echoed through his mind as he looked at the roundness of her stomach. _"__Jane informed me when she was expecting Asgeir that babes can hear; I'm quite certain your babe would like to hear their father."_

'_What the hell,'_ Tony thought, scooting down the mattress. He stopped half way down the bed, lying down as his head was level with her stomach. He hesitantly stretched his arm forward, placing his palm against her warm skin. Tony looked up at her face quickly, making sure he hadn't woken her. He stayed like that for a few minutes, wondering what he should say. "Uh hi," he said softly, moving closer to Pepper's stomach; his lips were less than two inches from her skin. "I'm Tony; I'm uh…I'm your father. But don't call me that; it's way too formal. You can call me Dad or Daddy, even Poppa if you want. I don't know what other names there are for father; that might be it." Tony began to rub gentle circles against Pepper's stomach, enjoying the feeling of her smooth skin against his slightly roughened hands. "I'm gonna be honest with you kid, I have no idea how to do this whole dad thing. Your Grandpa Stark…he was a good father, but he coulda worked a little harder to be a better one. And your Grandpa Potts was a good man too, but he died a few years ago. Unfortunately kiddo you don't have any living grandparents. Though you could always call your Uncle Steve grandpa; he's old enough."

Pepper slowly awakened as she heard Tony's voice, her eyes still closed. She wondered momentarily who he was talking to when she realized he was rubbing her stomach._ 'He's talking to the baby,' _she thought sleepily, trying to focus more closely on his words.

"What you lack in grandparents you make up in aunts and uncles," Tony said, chuckling softly. "You've got lots of aunts and uncles….most of them are crazy. You've got your Uncle Bruce-I gotta talk to your mom about making him your godfather- he's a good guy. He's as smart as your dad, which is saying something cause your dad is a genius, and he turns into this big green giant when he gets angry. He's not dangerous or anything; he would never hurt you or anyone else, only the bad guys. He's a good man, a really good man."

"Then we've got your Uncle Steve, the good old Captain America. He's a good guy too, but he's about as naïve as you are. I guess that comes from being frozen for 70 years. He's basically the opposite of your dad, more cautious and moral and what have you. Old school would be a good word. What he really needs is to loosen up and get a girlfriend. I'll let him take you on walks in the park; it's the best way to pick up chicks. Though your mom may not approve," Tony murmured. "We'll have to keep that our little secret."

"We have another little family living in the Tower with us; we're all one big family, but they're a family within a family like you, me, and your mom. Your Uncle Goldilocks, you'll call him Uncle Thor, married your Aunt Jane and had your little cousin, Asgier. Your Uncle Thor is from a whole different universe, kind of a land far far away thing. He's the god of thunder on Asgard; imagine the looks on your friends' faces when you tell them that. Your Aunt Jane is an astrophysicist; she's pretty brilliant. Your little cousin, Asgeir, is pretty awesome too. He's adorable and playful and just a little bit of a mischief maker, but not so much that your Aunt Jane is pulling her hair out."

"And lastly we have the unfulfilled love story of your Aunt Natasha and Uncle Clint. At least I think it's unfulfilled; your aunt and uncle are weird. I don't know if they are or aren't together, I don't even think they know if they're together, but I think they'll get together one day. Your Uncle Clint is gonna be the uncle that teaches you all the things your mom would prefer you didn't know, like how to shoot a bow and arrow or how to break into the air vents and crawl around them. You know, fun things like that," Tony said with a shrug. "Your Aunt Natasha-she might even let you call her Aunt Tasha, you'd be joining the ranks of the few-she's gonna be the person who teaches you how to fight, I just know it. I guess that'll be fine as long as you don't get hurt or anything."

"And that just leaves your mom and me," Tony concluded. "Your dad is pretty awesome; like I told your Uncle Steve, I'm a billionaire, genius, former playboy, philanthropist and I'm Ironman. That means nothing to you at the moment, but it will be when you're older. But your mom, oh man is your mom incredible. I have no words to explain her; you'll just have to meet her to understand me," Tony said, yawning. "But trust me, I'm not exaggerating kiddo. Your mom is great." Tony glanced at the clock on the wall, noting how late it had gotten. "It's time for me to go to bed kid; it's pretty late." Tony gently kissed Pepper's stomach, smiling. "You get some rest; I'm gonna get to see you in a few hours." Tony scooted back up the bed, his head dropping against his pillows. He wrapped an arm around Pepper's body, falling asleep so quickly he failed to notice the smile spreading across Pepper's face.

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How was this chapter guys? Reviews please :D


	16. It's a:19 weeks

Sorry I took so long guys, i had writers block again. Plus there was a hurricane!

* * *

"You know I could build one of these," Tony said, gesturing to the ultrasound machine in front of them.

"Tony," Pepper said, rolling her eyes affectionately. Pepper and Tony sat alone in the doctor's office, Pepper lying on the patient table while Tony sat on the stool next to her, waiting for the ultrasound technician to arrive.

"I'm serious," Tony replied, rubbing her stomach gently. "Me and Bruce could put it together in a matter of hours. I managed to teach myself thermonuclear physics over night; I think I can handle an ultrasound machine."

"And exactly who is going to work the machine?" Pepper asked playfully, raising an eyebrow.

"Bruce will of course," Tony replied easily. "He's already a doctor; being an ultrasound technician wouldn't be that big of a stretch. Think about it, Pep, we-" Tony's words were cut off as the ultrasound technician walked into the room. The ultrasound technician was a middle age British man, wearing glasses and an easy smile. "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Stark," he said, smiling as she closed the door and walked across the room. "I'm Dr. Mallard, but you may call me Ducky; most people do."

"Nice to meet you, Ducky," Tony said, resisting the urge to laugh.

"Now how are you feeling, Mrs. Stark?" Ducky asked, taking a seat and turning on the ultrasound machine.

"I'm alright, a little tired," she admitted.

"Yes, most mothers are at this stage," Ducky replied. "It says in your chart that you experienced some unexplained abdominal pains a few weeks ago. Have you experienced them since?"

"No, I haven't felt any pain," Pepper replied, gripping Tony's hand in hers.

"No swelling of the hands or feet?"

"Nope, none at all."

"Have you felt the baby move at all?"

"No, not yet," Pepper replied, frowning. "Is that normal?"

"Oh yes, it's quite normal, Mrs. Stark, not to worry. You should be feeling your baby moving in the coming week or so, almost like a fluttering in your stomach. I dare say once your little one gets into the habit of incessant kicking, you'll be wishing for a bit of a reprieve," Ducky assured her. "What about you, Mr. Stark?" Ducky asked, turning toward Tony. "How are you feeling with fatherhood approaching you?"

Tony took a second to process his question, his attention focused on Pepper. "Oh, um I'm okay," Tony replied, lacing his fingers with Pepper's. "Little nervous I guess. I wanna know what we're having; I'm excited."

"Well, it's time to find out," Ducky replied, rubbing the cool gel on Pepper's stomach.

"Goodness that's cold!" Pepper exclaimed, jumping slightly.

"My apologies, Mrs. Stark. I should have warned you about that." He pressed the sensor gently against her stomach, turning to look back at the screen. "Let's see if we can here his heartbeat."

Pepper gripped Tony's hand tightly, swallowing the growing lump in her throat. After so many weeks she was finally going to see her baby, her and Tony's baby. "Oh!" she gasped as the sound of a heartbeat filled the room.

"It's our kid," Tony said softly, his voice filled with awe. He raised his and Pepper's joined hands, kissing her knuckles. "That's our kid, Pep."

"Here is your baby. Your little one seems to be in excellent shape," Ducky said as he moved the sensor across Pepper's stomach, his eyes focused on the tiny squirming figure on screen. "The heartbeat is nice and strong and your baby seems to be developing well."

"Any chance we can up the resolution on this thing, Doc?" Tony asked, slightly frustrated at the darkness of the monitor.

"I'm sorry, but this is the best ultrasound technology can do at the time, Mr. Stark."

"I'm telling you, Pep, say the word and me and Bruce will build a better ultrasound," Tony whispered in her ear, smirking slightly.

Pepper swatted Tony's arm gently, before leaving her hand to rest there. Her eyes filled with tears as she watched the tiny figure on screen, the tiny life growing within her. "Hey baby," she said softly, a tear escaping her eye.

"I'll make sure to print you multiple pictures," Ducky said, smiling at the couple. "Would you like to know what you're having?"

"Yes," Tony and Pepper replied simultaneously, looking at each other with a smile.

"I excepted as much; most couples want to know," Ducky replied. "Well it seems you're having a…"

* * *

"Tony, I'm perfectly capable of walking into our apartment," Pepper laughed as Tony carried her out of the elevator.

"You heard Ducky. You need to take it a little easier, rest and relax. I'm thinking we should rest and relax in the bedroom," Tony said, winking at her. Tony was over the moon with happiness. His wife was healthy, his kid was healthy, the city wasn't falling apart. It was a pretty good day.

"Stark, what did we tell you about keeping your personal details to yourself?" Clint asked, rolling his eyes as Tony carried Pepper into the living room where everyone was gathered, setting her on the couch.

"I offered to superglue your ears shut; you didn't take me up on it," Tony said with a shrug, sitting next to Pepper.

"Play nice, Tony," Pepper said, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"He started it," Tony muttered.

"So what'd the doctor say?" Jane asked curiously. "Eveything's okay with the baby?"

"Yeah, Pepper and the baby are perfectly fine," Tony replied happily.

"And did you find out what you're having?" Bruce asked, not wanting to pry into their personal business, but unable to control his curiosity. He was a scientist after all.

"Yes, we did," Pepper answered, taking the pictures out of her bag and placing them on the table. "Do you wanna tell them or should I?" Pepper asked as the ultrasound pictures were passed around.

"I'll do it," Tony said, smirking. "Congrats guys, you have the once in a lifetime chance of finding out what I was like when I was a kid."

"You don't mean-" Natasha said hesitantly.

"We're having a boy! Tony Jr.," Tony said proudly.

"Absolutely not," Pepper replied. "Boy, yes. Tony Jr., no."

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Poor Tony, no little Tony Jr. Reviews please


	17. Nursery Colors: 21 weeks

Pepper bit her lower lip as she looked around the empty guest room, her hands resting on her rounded stomach. She felt like the Goodyear blimp most days, feeling off balance with her huge stomach, but she loved her baby bump all the same. _'I guess I should expect to be this big at 21 weeks, right?' _she thought, smoothing her hands over her stomach. She and Tony were still waiting for the baby's first kick; with every passing day, Pepper grew more and more anxious. What if something was wrong with the baby? What if that was the reason that she hadn't felt the baby kick yet? What if something was wrong with _her_? These thoughts plagued Pepper every time she stopped to think about her child's lack of movement, the fear and worry gnawing at her until she was on the verge of an anxiety attack. Tony could see the worry in her face when she was around him, always pulling her into his arms and assuring her that their son was perfectly fine.

_'And he'll need somewhere to sleep when he arrives,' _Pepper thought, shaking herself away from her worry and impending anxiety attack. She slowly turned in the room, looking at the blank walls and trying to envision a nursery for her son. The empty room was right next to hers and Tony's; Tony was working on putting a door between the two bedrooms to make it easier for them to check on their son at night. Now if she could only figure out how she wanted to decorate the room, they'd be in business. "Jarvis," Pepper called, taking a seat against the wall.

"Yes, Ms. Potts?" the AI responded politely.

"What color do you think the nursery should be?" she asked, desperate for someone's opinion, even a computer. Jarvis tended to give better advice than most people she knew.

"I believe the traditional nursery color for infant boys is blue," Jarvis replied. "Light blue to be precise."

"Yeah, I know, but this child will be anything but traditional," Pepper laughed. "This is the child of Tony Stark."

"Shall we paint the nursery hot rod red and have cars and arc reactors stenciled onto the walls, Ms. Potts?"

Pepper shook her head, unsurprised after so many years at Jarvis' sense of humor. "That would be a little bit closer to what our son's going to be like," Pepper murmured. "Is Tony still down in his lab?"

"Yes, he is. Would you like me to call him up for you?"

"Yes, please Jarvis."

"Jarvis, what did I say about turning off my music?" Tony asked, not looking up from the arm of his suit that he was repairing.

"I'm sorry, sir, but Ms. Potts requests your presence upstairs," the AI responded.

"Am I in trouble?" Tony asked, putting down his screwdriver and stretching his arms overhead. He had no idea how long he sat hunched over his desk making modifications.

"No, sir; she requires your help in the nursery."

"Okay, I'll be there in a jiff," Tony replied, getting up from his seat. He slowly walked over to the elevator, yawning as it made its slow ascent to the top floor. "Pepper, what are you doing on the floor?" Tony asked as he walked into the empty bedroom.

"I'm sitting," Pepper said, rolling her eyes. "My back was killing me so I thought leaning against the wall might make it feel a little better."

"Did it?" Tony asked curiously, sitting next to her.

"Not really," Pepper said, shrugging her shoulders.

Tony shifted Pepper away from the wall, pulling her to sit between his legs, her back leaning against his chest. "I'm way more comfortable than a wall," he said, smirking. "So what did you need me oh so desperately for?"

"I did not need you desperately," Pepper retorted, swatting at his knee. "I just needed someone's opinion; I don't know what color to paint the baby's room. I don't want to paint it blue; that's too traditional."

"Paint it hot rod red," Tony suggested.

Pepper groaned, leaning her head against Tony's shoulder. "We are not painting our son's room red," Pepper said, rolling her eyes.

"Why not?" Tony whined. "They're practically the family colors. Just picture it, Pep, a hot rod red and gold nursery for our little iron baby. It'll be great."

"Absolutely not, Tony. Number one: that'll look horrendous. And number two: you are not allowed to call our child iron baby. And you're not allowed to make him a suit either. I won't allow it."

"Come on, champ," Tony said, placing his hands on the side of Pepper's stomach. "Tell your mom how much you want a red and gold nursery. It'll look great in your dad's colors."

"Tony, I don't th-" Pepper's words died in her throat as she felt Tony stiffen behind her. "Tony, did you feel that?" Pepper whispered, afraid speaking too loudly would break the moment.

"The baby kicking?" Tony murmured, his face frozen in shock. His heart was pounding in his chest, feeling as if it was going to explode. That was his son, his little boy, kicking inside of the woman he loved. Shit, if this wasn't happiness, he didn't know what was. "Uh yeah…yeah I felt that."

"That was the baby's first kick," Pepper said, a bright smile stretching across her face. "Our son's first kick."

"Guess our little man agrees with me about the nursery colors," Tony said, smirking as he rubbed gentle circles on her stomach. "Way to go, little guy."

"Oh absolutely not," Pepper laughed, kissing Tony's cheek. "He did not agree with you."

"Sorry, you're being overruled, Pepper. Come on, he kicked when I asked him to tell you how much he wants a red and gold nursery. That completely counts. It's two against one; red and gold nursery it is."

"Nope nope nope," Pepper laughed, shaking her head. "I'm the momma, I'm overruling you both."

"Don't worry, kiddo; we'll win in the end. You've got the Stark stubbornness in you," Tony laughed, patting her stomach.

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Reviews please :D


	18. Godfathers: 24 weeks

"Crap," Pepper muttered as the spray can of whipped cream slipped from her fingertips, rolling underneath the kitchen table. Making her way slowly over to the table, Pepper attempted to bend over and reach under the table, her movements stopped by her growing stomach. "You know little man, once upon a time your mother was able to bend over and touch her toes," Pepper said as she straightened up, placing her hand on her stomach. "She wasn't always this big. She was able to touch her toes and reach under the table for fallen pens and wear her heels because her ankles weren't swollen to the size of a grapefruit." Pepper sighed, slowly sinking to her knees as she tried to reach for the fallen can of whipped cream.

Bruce walked into the kitchen, placing his empty coffee cup in the sink as he noticed Pepper on the floor, attempting to reach for something under the table. "Pepper? What are you doing?" Bruce offered. "Do you need help with anything?"

Pepper looked over her shoulder, smiling at her friend. "Hey Bruce. The can of whipped cream slipped out of my fingertips when I was making a sundae," she explained, gesturing to the bowl of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce waiting for her on the kitchen counter. "And my son's growth is making it a little difficult to grab it from under the table."

"Don't worry; I'll get it," Bruce replied, helping her to her feet before quickly reaching under the table and grabbing the runaway topping. "Here you are," he said, handing it to her.

"You are a lifesaver," Pepper answered, smiling at him. "If Tony came in here and saw me struggling to pick something up, he'd never let me live it down." Pepper walked over to the counter, spraying some whipped cream on the top of her sundae before carefully playing the can on the counter.

"I could imagine," Bruce laughed. "Don't worry; I won't tell him."

Pepper smiled at Bruce as she took a spoonful of ice cream, her eyes closing in happiness as the vanilla flavor hit her tongue. "Be sure to thank your Uncle Bruce for that, baby," Pepper said, patting the top of her stomach. "Your godfather Bruce is very good to us."

"G-godfather?" Bruce sputtered in surprise. He didn't know Pepper and Tony were thinking about giving their son godparents, let alone that he was an option to be one.

"Well co-godfather," Pepper amended. "You and Rhodey will have to share our little boy. But yes, you're godfather; Tony and I decided this morning."

Bruce stood frozen in shock, his jaw slack. "Are you sure?" Bruce asked, shaking himself from his shock.

"Of course, who would be a better godfather to our son than the man who turns into a huge green rage monster?" Pepper answered teasingly. "Plus you're his father's science bro. No better choice. Little man even agrees; he's squirming around. Want to feel him kick?" Pepper asked.

"C-can I?" Bruce asked hesitantly.

"Sure you can," Pepper replied easily, placing her ice cream back on the counter. She took Bruce's hands, placing them on the sides of her stomach. "Come on, say hi to your Uncle Bruce."

Bruce smiled gently as he felt a little tap against his hand. "Hey godson," he murmured, rubbing a gentle circle where he felt the tap before removing his hands from Pepper's stomach. "I…are you guys positive?"

"Do you not want to be godfather?" Pepper asked, frowning in worry.

"No, no," Bruce said hastily. "It's not that I don't want to be; I just didn't know you guys wanted me to be godfather. I didn't think-"

"Bruce, you and Platypus are gonna be godfathers; deal with it," Tony said as he walked into the kitchen.

"How long have you been standing there?" Pepper asked curiously, hoping he hadn't seen her struggling with the whipped cream.

"Just got here," Tony replied, grabbing a spoonful of Pepper's ice cream.

"Hey, that's your son's food," Pepper said, swatting his hand away from the bowl.

"It's fine; his godfather will make him another. Right, Bruce?"

"Of course," Bruce replied, smiling. _'Godfather. Wow.'_

* * *

Later that evening...

"Pepper, you're looking-"

"Huge?" Pepper offered, getting to her feet.

"I was gonna go with gorgeous," Rhodey replied, hugging her. "But I can definitely tell that the baby is growing. When I last saw you, you were barely showing."

"That's what happens when you spend all your time in Malibu instead of New York," Tony commented from his seat on the couch.

"Says the man who spent practically his whole life living in Malibu. Convince the military to move the base to the east coast and make my commute easier," Rhodey retorted. "At least Pepper's nice enough to keep me in the loop about the baby and send me ultrasound pictures. How's little Tony doing?" he asked, gently placing his hand on Pepper's stomach.

"Oh no, we are not calling the baby Tony," Pepper laughed.

"Have you guys picked out baby names yet?" Rhodey asked curiously.

"Not quite," Tony replied. "But we did come up with a name that you could call the baby. Only you and Bruce will be able to use it though."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"Godson," Tony answered with a grin.

Rhodey whipped his head back and forth between Tony and Pepper, taking in their identical smiles. "Are you serious?" he asked in disbelief. "I'm gonna be a godfather?"

"Yep, you and Bruce are gonna be co-godfathers to the next generation of Starks, congrats," Tony said with a smirk.

"I'm gonna be a godfather," Rhodey said softly, a smile stretching across his face. "I'm gonna be a godfather!" he exclaimed as the news finally set in. "Don't worry guys, I'll be the best godfather ever. I'll be the kid's only normal family."

"Hey!" Pepper and Tony said simultaneously.

"Don't sweat it, godson; I'll teach you how to deal with your mom and dad's special brand of insanity. I've been doing it for years," Rhodey said, patting Pepper's stomach.

"Ya know I'm beginning to regret giving you the job position," Tony said dryly.

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Godfathers :D gotta love 'em. Reviews please


	19. Anyone can dream: 28 weeks

This chapter feels kinda bittersweet to me.

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Natasha ran a hand through her short red-hair, heading back to her room after a sparing match with Steve. She paused as she passed the door to soon to be nursery, her brow wrinkling in worry as she noticed Pepper sitting on the floor, her hands resting on her stomach as she stared into space. "Pepper?" she called, stepping into the room.

Pepper jumped in surprise, her eyes focusing on Natasha. "Oh hey Natasha; I didn't see you standing there," Pepper replied with a smile, smoothing a hand over her stomach. "I must have zoned out for a second."

"Are you alright?" Natasha asked, walking over to her side. "Why are you sitting on the floor?"

"I got really tired," Pepper admitted with a sheepish grin. "I was in here thinking about designs for the baby's room and my legs got tired holding up my much larger frame so I decided to sit for a while."

Natasha nodded at her explanation, resisting the urge to call Bruce to check up on her. Natasha considered Pepper a sister of sorts, leading to her constant worry about her and the baby's health. All the years of living with her "family" was making her soft. Tony didn't cower under her glare as quickly as he used to. "Have you decided what you want to do with the nursery?" Natasha asked, sitting next to Pepper.

"No red and gold," Pepper laughed.

"God no," Natasha replied, shaking her head. "Please don't inflate Stark's ego anymore by painting the nursery in his colors. You need to paint it something calming, like beige or yellow, maybe green."

"Yellow sounds lovely, something bright and warm. Tony claims our son wants the nursery painted red and gold," she said, rolling her eyes.

"You know I still can't get over the fact that you're having a child with him. Getting married to him is one thing, but you're actually carrying his demon spawn," Natasha said with a smirk.

"Well the baby is gonna be half me so I think he'll turn out alright as long as he doesn't get his father's stubbornness."

"A little Tony-Pepper clone running around the Tower. I'm sure Asgeir will be thrilled he finally has someone to play with."

"What about you and Clint?" Pepper questioned suddenly.

"What about me and Clint?" Natasha answered, arching one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows in confusion.

"Come on, you can't tell me all these babies in the Tower don't make you want to have one," Pepper said. "And the only person you would even vaguely entertain the idea of having a child with is Clint. You can't tell me you've never thought about it."

"Clint always wanted a family," Natasha answered, ignoring Pepper's last comment. She was not going to open that can of worms; admitting she wanted a baby of her own-which she didn't say she did- would just make it hurt all the more since she didn't have one, wouldn't have one.

"You know I'm starting to believe Tony's theory that you guys are secretly married."

"Don't start believing your husband's insane theories please," Natasha said, rolling her eyes. "You're much smarter than that. Clint and I are not married. And we're not having any kids."

"I don't see why not," Pepper replied, patting her stomach. "You guys obviously love each other-"

"Love is for children."

"And you guys have a very intimate relationship-"

"He's my best friend and my partner."

"So I don't see why you guys don't just get married and have a kid?" Pepper ended.

"You really have been spending too much time with Tony," Natasha chuckled. "I never said I wanted a kid."

"Never said you didn't either," Pepper retorted with a smile.

"Pepper, an assassin's hands aren't meant to nurture," Natasha explained. "They're good for a lot of things, but raising a child isn't one of them."

"Liar," Pepper said blatantly, causing Natasha to look at her in surprise. "I've seen the way you and Clint are with Asgeir. Looked pretty nurturing to me. I, for one, think you guys would make great parents, super protective parents, but wonderful parents all the same."

"Who knows if I could even have a child? After all the bullets, stabs wounds and punches to my stomach, who knows if my body is even able to carry a kid?" Natasha said matter of factly. "And when did this become about me? We're talking about_ your_ kid's nursery. I don't need one."

"Keep telling yourself that, Natasha. Maybe you'll believe it one day." Pepper placed her palms on the floor, slowly pushing herself up to stand. "Now I think it's time I feed my little man," she said, patting her stomach as she headed toward the door. "Want to join me?"

"Maybe after my shower," Natasha replied, looking around the empty nursery as Pepper walked away. She leaned against the wall, taking in the bare corners and the plain white walls. She could picture a nursery of a different kind in her mind. One painted beige with a white trim, with a bookshelf filled with English and Russian children's books against one of the walls. One with the rocking chair Thor had given them in one corner of the room, a soft pink blanket draped over the back of it. A nursery with a map of the world painted on one wall filled with little stars to show where they had gone on missions. An old-fashioned wooden crib set up against the opposite wall, made by his hands because he was a jack of all trades and wants to make it for his child. With a little baby girl who had reddish-brown hair and piercing green eyes sleeping soundly, safely in the crib. A little girl who would carry the last name of Barton. Natasha could see it all. _'But anyone can see dreams,' _Natasha thought, pushing away the thoughts of a future she couldn't have and walking out of the room.

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Reviews please


	20. Never ignore intuition: 29 weeks

I was feeling for a drama filled chapter. Don't hurt me -hides-

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Tony frowned as he opened his eyes, wondering why the hell he was awake. He glanced over at Pepper sleeping next to him, smoothing his hand over her stomach. His wife was in bed next to him sleeping, his son was sleeping peacefully in his wife's womb, and here he was awake at…_'What time is it?'_ he wondered. "Hey Jarvis," Tony whispered, kissing the side of Pepper's neck. "What time is it anyway?"

"It is 3:17 in the morning, Sir," Jarvis replied quietly.

"What the hell," Tony muttered, rubbing his hand across his tired eyes. "Do you know why I'm awake? Any noises in the Tower or people who shouldn't be there?"

"No, Sir. Mr. and Mrs. Odinson have been in their rooms since midnight after setting young Asgeir into bed. Mr. Banner left the lab shortly after two in the morning and retreated to his room. Ms. Romanoff and Mr. Barton finished watching a movie in the living area thirty minutes ago and went into Mr. Barton's room."

_'The hawk and the widow were having movie night, how cute,' _Tony thought, smirking slightly. He rubbed at his chest, his hand circling around the arc reactor as it ached dully. "Maybe I had a weird dream," Tony said softly, pulling Pepper closer as he drifted back to sleep, his arm draped protectively over her stomach.

* * *

Pepper leaned against the kitchen counter, her one hand absentmindedly rubbing her stomach as she sipped her orange juice. She knew she was stalling, wasting time to avoid going to work. She was usually in such a hurry to get to work, knowing the pile of work that would be waiting for her when she arrived, but this morning she found herself dallying. She glanced at the stove clock, realizing she was usually at work at this time. _'I could always blame Tony for my lateness,' _Pepper thought, remembering that she still had to wait for Tony to finish getting ready before they could head to Stark Industries.

"Lady Pepper," Thor called as he walked into the kitchen, pulling Pepper from her thoughts. "Good day to you."

"Good morning Thor," Pepper replied, smiling at him. "Sleep well?"

"No, I did not," Thor answered, frowning slightly. "I had a most disturbing dream last night."

"Oh? What did you dream about?"

"I do not remember exactly; I can only remember intense feelings of worry and fear toward you, Lady Pepper. Twas a most disturbing dream to have. It woke me in the middle of the night. Please be of care today, Lady Pepper," Thor said seriously.

"Don't worry, Thor; I'll be fine," Pepper reassured him, walking out of the kitchen. "I'm taking Tony with me today so I'll be twice as safe."

* * *

"Are you sure you want to go to work today, Pep?" Tony asked, buttoning up his shirt. "I think we should play hooky."

"Tony, you play hooky most of the year," Pepper retorted, rolling her eyes. "And I have a pile of work already waiting for me; I'm an hour late as it is."

"So? I can always send Happy in to get your work and bring it home," Tony offered. He sat on the bed next to Pepper, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Come on Pepper; you know you want to spend a day at home. We could spend the afternoon watching movies and cuddling or we could go out for lunch; hell we could go out of the country if you want. Be in Spain before dinner; you know how much you love Spain."

"Why do you suddenly want to keep me home, Tony?" Pepper questioned, fixing his shirt collar. "Do you have something planned?"

"No, no, I just…I think you should stay home today; I can't explain it. I just have a weird feeling," Tony answered.

"It's probably just your work anxiety," Pepper teased. "Come on, we're already late."

"What's with all the paparazzi?" Tony asked as Happy stopped the car in front of Stark Industries. "I'm not releasing anything new today, right?"

"No, this is just the usual swarm of paparazzi," Pepper replied, grabbing her purse.

"It seems they've gotten worse since Ms. Potts has gotten pregnant," Happy added, getting out of the car to open the door.

Tony's arm instinctively wrapped around Pepper's waist as the swarm of photographers descended upon them. "Happy, crowd control," Tony called as he attempted to get through the crowd of people without being bashed in the head with a camera. Countless voices called out for him and Pepper, their camera flashes almost binding.

Tony could feel the moment everything went wrong, his heart stopping in his chest. Pepper was suddenly shoved forward by one of the photographers, the force pushing her free of his grip on her waist as she tumbled forward. Tony whirled around quickly, anger driving him forward. No one laid hands on his wife _ever_. As his fist quickly snapped out, connecting with the photographer's jaw, he made a mental note to thank Clint for all those rounds of sparring. His moment of exhilaration ended almost instantly as he heard Pepper's pained cry.

Pepper panicked as she fell toward the hard concrete, her mind trying to stop her momentum as her hands flew out to stop her fall. Her heart dropped as she hit the ground, pain spiking through her stomach. "Tony!" Pepper called in fear, rolling onto her back to cradle her stomach, to protect herself from the pain she felt and her baby from being hurt. _'The baby,' _she thought fearfully as her stomach ached.

"Pepper, are you okay?" Tony asked in a panic, placing his hands over hers.

"It hurts," Pepper answered, her hand squeezing his as her voice shook. "We need to go to the hospital, Tony. We need to go now."

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-dramatic music- Reviews please!


	21. Family Assemble!

Pepper's eyes remained fixed on her stomach, her hands pressed tightly to it as she hoped for some kind of response from her baby, anything to let her know that he was okay. "Tony," Pepper whispered, her throat constricted with tears.

"Yeah," Tony replied, tightening his grip around her shoulders slightly.

"We can't lose our baby," she said softly, a tear escaping her eye. "We can't."

"We won't," Tony replied, kissing her hair. "Our little man is a trooper. He's got our combined stubbornness. He's going to be fine," Tony mumbled, trying to reassure her and himself as he placed his hand over hers, praying for the best.

* * *

A tense silence filled the hospital waiting room as the Avengers waited to hear some news about Pepper and her baby. They all rushed to the hospital after getting the emergency text from Tony, dropping everything they were doing to be where they were needed most.

Jane hugged Asgeir a little closer to her chest as he sat on her lap, napping. He feared for Pepper and the health of her baby. She was so far along in her pregnancy; an injury or fall could jeopardize both of their health.

Natasha nervously tapped her foot, resisting the urge to storm down the halls looking for Pepper's doctor and getting some answers out of her. God she really hoped Pepper wouldn't lose her baby. She and Tony had gotten so attached to their unborn son, bringing out a hidden side of Tony. Losing their baby before they really had him would tear them apart.

Bruce looked around the waiting room worriedly, watching the doctors and nurses hustle and bustle around the room. He felt so useless sitting there, wishing he knew more about pregnancy and babies than he did about gamma rays. What use was all the knowledge he had if he couldn't help his best friend when he needed it?

Thor frowned as he stared at the long hallway at the end of the waiting room, watching carefully for anyone who might have news about Pepper and Tony. He wanted to kick himself for letting Pepper go to work that morning. He had a bad feeling about her leaving but still allowed her to go forth with Tony. Now she and her child may be suffering.

Steve paced the waiting room nervously as he waited for Tony or a doctor to come looking for them, to let them know what was happening, what they could do. He was as excited as the other Avengers about Tony and Pepper's child. Pepper was a wonderful person, a kind, caring person who would make a fabulous mother and Tony, for all his faults, really did have a good heart and the makings of a good father. He only hoped that their chance wouldn't get taken away from them.

Clint tapped his fingers against his thigh, his anxiety filled limbs needing something to do. What he really wanted to do was find the asshole who had pushed Pepper and put her in the hospital, jeopardizing the health of her and her baby, and put an arrow through his legs. It had been a long time since he had a stable family that he actually liked; he was not going to let anyone hurt the people he cared about.

"Momma," Asgeir mumbled sleepily as he slowly woke from his nap.

"Yes?" Jane replied, running a hand through his hair.

"Is Auntie Pepper and the baby okay?"

"We don't know yet," Jane answered worriedly. "But as soon as Uncle Tony or a doctor comes out, we'll find out what's going on."

They all looked up as an older grey haired man walked over to them, his eyes focused on the chart in his hand. "You all must be the Avengers," he said, looking at the assembled group. "Tony said you would all be here. I'm Dr. Mallard, but you all can call me Ducky. I'm Mrs. Stark's doctor."

"I thought he was the ultrasound technician," Natasha mused.

"Tony must have hired him," Clint whispered in reply.

"How is Pepper?" Bruce asked. "Is the baby alright?"

"Not to worry, the baby is fine as is Mrs. Stark," Ducky replied, frowning slightly. "They were both quite lucky as a matter of fact. Such a fall could have easily been the end of their young child. Now more than ever it's crucial for Mrs. Stark to take very good care of herself and her child; they're not out of the woods completely. She needs to rest, no work for the next week or so and she needs to remain calm and relaxed."

"You do realize who she's married to right?" Steve interjected, wondering how they were going to keep Pepper from working and how they were going to keep her calm while she was married to Tony. It sounded like mission impossible.

"Can we go see Pepper?" Natasha asked, crossing her arms in front of her.

"We're gonna see Auntie Pepper?" Asgeir questioned, looking around at the adults.

"Oh yes of course you can," Ducky replied easily. "I'll show you where her room is." The Avengers followed Ducky silently down the hall, ignoring the looks of shock and confusion they received; it was relatively normal for them. Stopping in front of a closed room door, Ducky turned toward them. "You can all go in and see Mrs. Stark, but remember that she needs her rest," he said seriously before leaving them in the hall. The Avengers nodded in reply before refocusing on the closed door.

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Reviews please!


	22. Chapter 22

Lame chapter is lame. Meep. I don't know why this chapter gave me such difficulty . And you guys got the last two chapters back to back because I thought it'd be cruel to leave you guys waiting forever to see if Pepper and the baby were okay. I'm not _that_ cruel lol.

* * *

Tony is absolutely positive that his son's managed to shave at least ten years off his lifespan. And the kid isn't even out of the womb yet. He thinks these thoughts with a strange mixture of fear, because he was really freakin terrified for his wife and his son, and relief because his son was still alive, he was still going to have the chance to shave more years of his lifespan. He sighs in contentment as he manages to fit himself onto the small hospital bed next to Pepper, one arm wrapping around her shoulders while the other rests gently on her stomach, waiting to see if his son would kick.

"You two really scared me," Tony murmured as Pepper placed her head on his chest. "Are you sure you don't want an Ironman suit? I'll build it to accommodate the baby bump and everything."

Pepper snorted in amusement, rolling her eyes. It was just like Tony to cover up a vulnerable moment with some stupid comment. But after the day they had, they could use the wise-cracks. "I think I'll pass on the Ironman suit," Pepper replied tiredly. "I'll probably get more injured in it than anything else."

A knock at the door interrupted Tony's quick reply. "We're not here right now; come back later," Tony shouted, pulling Pepper closer.

The Avengers smiled on the other side of the door; if Tony was making smart remarks then things couldn't be too bad.

"Send in the secret weapon," Natasha whispered.

"Uncle Tony, Auntie Pepper," Asgeir called, knocking on the door. "Open the door please."

Pepper smiled at Asgeir's voice, shifting to sit upright. "Come on in, kiddo," Pepper called.

The Avengers filed into the room, their faces covered in worried but hopeful smiles as they greeted the couple. "Look it's our band of merry men," Tony said, smirking.

"How are you doing, Pepper?" Bruce asked, taking the seat beside the bed.

"Tired," Pepper replied honestly. "And bruised. I've got a lovely black and blue bruise spreading across my stomach."

"Say the word and the guy'll be strung up like a piñata for you," Clint offered, crossing his arms. "I'll even bring him back to the Tower so you can get a couple whacks at him."

"Thanks for the offer," Pepper laughed, rubbing her hand gently across her stomach. "But I think I'll pass…for now at least."

"The bastard's gonna be ruined anyway when I'm through with him," Tony muttered angrily.

"How's the baby doing?" Natasha asked worriedly. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah, our little guy is okay. He gave us quite a scare when he stopped moving for a little while," Pepper answered softly. "But he's gonna be fine."

"Will you be coming home tonight, Lady Pepper?" Thor asked, scooping Asgeir in his arms. He was relieved that Pepper and the baby were okay, that she wouldn't lose the little life that she cared so much about.

"Yeah, Ducky's cleared her," Tony replied. "The whole family is going home tonight."

* * *

Tony sighed as he worked on modifications to his suit, rubbing his eyes in tiredness._ 'You'd think after such a long day I'd be able to fall asleep at two in the morning?' _Tony thought, barely managing to stifle a yawn. After trying unsuccessfully to sleep, he left Pepper sleeping soundly in their bed, grateful she was finally getting some rest. He looked up as he heard the elevator doors open, wondering who could be awake at that hour.

"Tony?" Pepper called tiredly.

Tony smiled as she came into view, wearing pajama bottoms and one of his Black Sabbath t-shirts stretched over her stomach. "What are you doing up, Pep? You should be resting."

"I woke up and wondered where you were," Pepper answered, yawning. She walked over to his side, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "Either I'm very tired or you're listening to a piano."

Tony smiled slightly, pulling her onto his lap. "It's a piano concerto my mom used to play when I couldn't sleep as a kid," Tony replied. "I thought it might help." Tony thought back to all the afternoons he spent with his mother, watching her fingers fly effortlessly across the keys of their piano. It always seemed like magic to him; no one's hands should be able to move so quickly, so skillfully across the keys but his mother could. "I fell asleep so many afternoons on the couch listening to her play."

Pepper listened attentively to his words. It was rare that Tony spoke about either of his parents; he didn't even do it when he was drunk. "Did she teach you how to play the piano?"

"Yeah, she taught me when I was a kid," Tony said softly, resting his palm on her stomach. "There was always two things I wanted to do when I was a kid: I wanted to sit in the workshop with my Dad and watch or even help and I wanted to sit on the piano bench with my Mom and play music with her. Mom had a little bit more patience with me than Dad did. She would have wanted to teach our kid how to play the piano too. She would have spoiled our little man, Dad would have too I think."

"Will you teach him?" Pepper asked, her words pulling Tony from his memories.

"Sure, why not?" Tony replied, his trademark smirk covering up the ghosts of his past. "I can teach you too if you want."

"I can already play the violin, thank you very much," Pepper answered, rolling her eyes. She got to her feet as her stomach growled quietly, pulling Tony up with her. "Come on, your kid needs to be fed and we need to go to sleep."

"But I'm practicing for when we have our son," Tony laughed, letting Pepper pull him toward the elevator. "Maybe I should get all the sleep now instead."

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Reviews please


	23. Reassurance: 31 weeks

Happy Thanksgiving readers! I'm thankful for you guys, all of you who've taken time out to actually read these little stories I dream up; it really means the world to me. I decided to feature two of the character I feel wouldn't have been expected so I hope you guys enjoy.

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Clint paused as he walked by the newly finished nursery, the sight of Pepper sitting in the rocking chair catching his eye. Tony had ultimately lost his bid for a red and gold nursery, acquiescing to the room being painted a light green. Clint still noticed the bits of red and gold Pepper had scattered around the room: the red blanket folded and placed in the crib, the gold lamp on top of the drawers. Tony's colors were present in the room, just not overbearingly so. He poked his head into the room, taking in the distant look on Pepper's face as her hands wrapped loosely around her stomach. "Hey Pepper," Clint said after a moment.

Pepper looked up at him, the distant look in her eyes immediately clearing as she focused on him. "Hey Clint," she replied, smiling slightly.

"What are you doing in here all by yourself?" he questioned, stepping into the room.

"Just thinking," Pepper responded quietly, looking around the room. "He's gonna be here soon; there's just a few more weeks."

"I know; everyone's so excited about the little tike," Clint answered happily, a smile tugging at his lips. "You excited?"

Pepper nodded once, biting her lower lip. Clint could tell something was bothering her, but was hesitant about questioning her about it. He wasn't the greatest person about sharing emotions and feelings; he wasn't going to push Pepper if she didn't want to talk. Still he stood in the doorway, silently offering his help if it was needed, like he did with Natasha. After a few minutes Pepper took a deep breath, mentally organizing her words. "I'm just…I'm worried."

"Worried? About what?" Clint questioned.

"About being a mother, being a good mother," Pepper explained.

"You'd think you'd be worried about Tony being a good dad, not you being a good mom."

"Oh Tony's gonna be a great dad, I just know it," Pepper said easily, full of confidence. "It's just myself I'm worried about. I don't know how to do this, how to be someone's mother. What if I screw up? What if I'm not any good at it?"

"Pepper, you're going to be a great mother," Clint reassured her. "You've been a mom for years you know."

"What do you mean?" Pepper asked.

"You've been a mom since all the Avengers moved into the Tower; you're a mother hen. You know when to drag Tony and Bruce out of the lab and force them to go to bed, you know what songs to play for Steve in the gym when he's feeling homesick for his era, you know when to offer Nat an ear to listen to her problems and which chocolates go with what problem, you're the only person who's ever been able to explain any of the technology to Thor and you know when to join me on the roof and when to just leave a blanket. On top of that, you're an amazing aunt to Asgeir. I can guarantee you're going to be a great mom," Clint concluded. "You just have to believe it too."

Pepper felt her eyes fill with tears at Clint's words, touched by his sincerity. "Stupid hormones," Pepper sniffled, wiping her eyes.

Clint chuckled, handing her the box of tissues sitting on the nightstand. "Don't worry about motherhood; there's nothing Pepper Potts-Stark can't handle. Once you can handle Tony, you can handle just about anything," Clint joked, offering her his hand. "Come on, Chinese food is here."

Pepper slipped her hand into his, allowing him to pull her to her feet. "Thanks Clint."

"Anything for family," Clint replied, squeezing her hand gently before letting it go.

* * *

"Tony," Steve called as he stepped out of the elevator, looking around at all the laboratory equipment. Since he was the last person to show up for dinner, he was sent to drag Tony out of the lab for food. He walked around the tables of miscellaneous items, locating Tony in the center of the lab, his eyes fixed on the screen in front of him. Steve peered curiously at the screen, quickly reading the information. _'Is he reading…a baby website?' _Steve wondered as his eyes roamed the screen, reading about a baby's thirty-first week of development. Steve cleared his throat loudly, causing Tony to jump slightly before turning toward him, running his hand quickly across the screen to clear it.

"Capsicle, what brings you to my domain?" Tony asked nonchalantly.

"Pepper sent me to bring you up to dinner," Steve replied. "Studying up on fatherhood?" he asked, nodding toward the blank screen.

"I fail to see why that's any of your business.  
"It's not," Steve replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Just think it's a good idea is all. You know how to be a billionaire genius playboy philanthropist superhero, but I don't think you've ever tried being a dad. If I was in your shoes I'd be studying too."

"I don't know how to be a father," Tony muttered, running a hand through his hair. "This kid is starting to freak me out."

"Why? He's your son."

"He's freaking me out for exactly that reason. He's _my_ kid, my responsibility. I've never been responsible for someone before; heck before Pepper came into my life I could barely be responsible for myself," Tony replied. "I don't know how to be a good father."

"Well, you're a good uncle to Asgeir, that's a good starting point," Steve answered. "You did everything with Asgeir that you have to do with your kid; just being a father requires even more love than being an uncle, more care and protectiveness. You've got the heart that's needed to be a good father. You already love your kid unconditionally; you're just gonna need to use that as your guiding point."

"Yeah," Tony mumbled, nodding his head.

"You're gonna make a great dad, Tony," Steve said, clapping a hand onto his shoulder. "If your biggest critic believes in you, then you have to be doing something right."

"I guess that must be true; I am great at everything I do," Tony answered, smirking slightly. He got up from his chair, stretching his arms overhead. "What's for dinner?" he asked, heading toward the elevator.

"Chinese," Steve replied, following him.

* * *

Reviews please


	24. Pepper doesn't take orders: 34 weeks

"I am not going on any mission!" Tony shouted, slamming his drawer shut.

Pepper sat silently on their bed, watching him pace back and forth angrily. _'Your dad's something else, munchkin,'_ Pepper thought, rubbing her stomach where the baby kicked. "Tony, you have to go," Pepper said gently.

"I don't_ have_ to do anything. I'm Tony freakin Stark. If I tell Fury I don't wanna go on his goddamn mission, then I don't have to go on the mission. I'm not one of his SHIELD agents he can boss around," he replied irritably, running a hand through his hair.

Pepper pushed herself to her feet, walking slowly over to Tony. She stood in front of him, frowning as she took in his scowling face. He was angry, but there was something else there. "Tony, what's wrong? Why don't you want to go?"

"I never want to go," Tony countered.

"Why don't you want to go this much? I've never seen you get so worked up about a mission, not even when Fury wakes you up in the middle of the night to go on a mission. The world needs Ironman and that's not something you can ignore," Pepper whispered, taking his face in her hands.

"I can't leave you," Tony muttered.

"You've left me tons of times; this isn't new to me. I'm used to being married to Ironman," Pepper said, shrugging her shoulders.

"What if something happens to you and the baby while I'm gone?" Tony questioned, placing his hands on her hips and pulling her as close as possible with her rounded stomach. "What if the baby comes early or something and I can't get back? I can't risk that."

"The baby isn't going to come early, Tony; I'm only at thirty-four weeks. I've still got two more."

"Do you know the number of women who go into labor at thirty-four weeks? It's over-"

"I'm going to ban you from reading those baby websites," Pepper said, rolling her eyes. "You forget that this is your son, Tony. The son of the man who's never on time for anything unless he's dragged from his bed. I think we'd have to worry about him being late, not early."

"He's also your son and you're always-"

"On time. Not early but on time." Pepper kissed Tony gently, trying to rub away the frown lines between his eyebrows. "Go on the mission, Tony; I'll be fine. Jane and Asgeir are gonna be back tonight from Asgard, so I won't be alone for long."

Tony sighed, knowing Pepper was right. "Just stay safe while I'm gone, okay?" Tony said worriedly.

"Doesn't that sound familiar," Pepper laughed. "We'll be fine; don't worry. Go get ready for the mission and tell Nick Fury that he owes me one."

"My wife has the head of SHIELD owing her favors. You seriously should think about becoming an official Avenger," Tony joked, walking out of the room.

"I'm sure it'll come in handy," Pepper replied.

* * *

"Shall Lady Pepper be alright alone?" Thor asked as they headed off to their next mission.

"Of course she will; she's Pepper Potts," Natasha replied easily. "She can handle anything once she married Tony."

"Pepper Stark," Tony corrected. "And I resent that statement."

"That's not what she introduces herself as," Clint laughed.

"She's in denial," Tony replied, brushing off Clint's comment. "She's Pepper Stark."

"She does tell people she's Pepper Potts," Steve added. "I've heard her say it before."

"Occasionally she does say she's Pepper Potts-Stark," Bruce said, trying to find a balance in Pepper's name.

Tony paused for a moment, testing out the sound of the name. "No, still doesn't sound as good as Pepper Stark. I'll get her to use that name; our kid's gonna be a Stark. No reason why she shouldn't be. It is an awesome name," Tony said, smirking.

"And it comes with a side of modesty," Clint said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Did you guys pick out names for the kid yet?"

"We've got a few ideas we're kicking around, but we haven't settled on anything yet," Tony replied.

"I heard Pepper shot down Tony Jr," Natasha commented, smiling wryly.

"Poor Pep doesn't know a good name when she heard one," Tony said, shaking his head in mock despair.

"Focus, guys," Steve said, getting everyone's attention. "Argue about names later."

* * *

Pepper walked around the empty Tower, sighing softly. She had already cleaned her and Tony's bedroom, neated up the nursery, cleaned the kitchen and washed all the dishes and tidied up the living room_. 'Nesting instinct at its best,'_ Pepper thought, standing by the wall of windows looking out at the skyline. It was a beautiful spring evening; she should be out enjoying the lovely weather or at least getting some of her work done. But instead she was wandering around aimlessly, her mind unable to focus on anything. Jarvis played music softly in the background; Pepper decided against listening to the play-by-play of the battle, remembering what happened last time. Jarvis knew to alert her if anything happened to Tony or the others.

As Pepper walked back toward the kitchen she paused, her eyes widening in fear as she felt something wet splash onto her legs. _'No,' _she thought fearfully. _'No no no no no, this can't be happening.' _Pepper cursed softly as she looked down, her eyes latching onto the small puddle of water at her feet. _'Did you not hear anything I told you father earlier?'_ she thought, placing her hand on her stomach. _'I said you wouldn't come while he was away; you're a Stark, you're supposed to be fashionably late!' _

Taking a deep breath, Pepper forced herself to not to panic, trying to formulate a plan. _'Tony said he would be back sometime tonight. It's already five. He can't be too far away,'_ she told herself as she cleaned up the fluid.

"Jarvis?" she called.

"Yes, Ms. Potts?"

"Call Director Fury and put him on speaker for me," she ordered, walking back to her room to retrieve the hospital bag she organized.

"Normally when the SHIELD phone lines are hacked into, I expect to be talking to Stark, listening to him whine about something. How can I help you Ms. Potts?" Fury asked. It was much easier to deal with Pepper than Tony.

"I need you to send Phil over to the Tower and I need you to get Tony home now," Pepper replied, tumbling through her drawers.

"I'll send Agent Coulson over right away, but Stark's on a mission. I won't-"

"I don't care, Director Fury. My water has just broken and you owe me a favor. You bring my husband home this instant," Pepper said angrily as she changed into a pair of sweats. "If I have to call him myself and tell him you wouldn't relay my message, he won't be saving the world anytime soon, not for you."

The line was silent for a moment before Fury chuckled softly. "No wonder you can handle Stark," Fury remarked. "Agent Coulson will be at the Tower within the next five minutes. I'll get Stark and send him home."

"Thank you, Director Fury."

"Good luck, Ms. Potts," Fury replied before he hung up.

* * *

The baby's coming! Reviews please!


	25. Not in the job description

"Avengers, wrap up the mission; you're needed at home," Fury said over their communicators.

"What's the rush?" Clint asked, taking out another attacker with his arrow. "We were just starting to have some fun."

"You may be having fun, Robin Hood, but I'm bored," Tony replied, circling the fighting before landing in the thick of it. "There's not enough people for us all to fight."

"We have been here a while, Stark," Steve commented. "The fight's ending. What's the rush, Director?"

"Pepper's gone into labor. She wants Stark and probably the rest of you back in New York now," Fury said calmly.

All heads snapped quickly toward Tony, their expressions filled with shock. Tony's eyes had widened in surprise and a little bit of fear. _'She's two week early; she couldn't have gone into labor,' _Tony thought frantically, breaking into a cold sweat._ 'He's my son; he's supposed to be fashionably late, not early.'_

"We'll be done in the next thirty seconds," Natasha replied as the first person to regain control of their vocal chords.

"Transport is waiting for you, ETA one minute," Fury stated.

"Wait, how do you know Pepper went into labor? Why didn't she call me? Is she okay? How's she going to get to the hospital?" Tony questioned quickly, his heart thudding in his chest.

"Pepper had Jarvis hack into SHIELD's phone system to contact me and order me to bring you back to New York," Fury explained, a hint of amusement in her voice. "How many times have I told you not to hack into my database with your computer system?"

"Why don't you stop making it so easy?" Tony muttered as the last enemy fell. Almost immediately after a plane landed a few yards from them, waiting for them.

"Get home, Stark. Your wife needs you now," Fury said, rolling his eyes. "Good luck."

* * *

Phil was able to handle super soldier frozen in a block of ice for seventy years, a pair of mentally and emotionally damaged master assassins, a gamma rayed created rage monster, a self-obsessed billionaire with the world's most powerful suit, and a god from an entirely different universe, but he was not prepared to handle taking care of a woman in labor.

"Phil!" Pepper screamed as her contraction hit, her nails digging into the car handle with one hand and gripping Phil's hand with the other.

Phil resisted the urge to wince in pain, focusing his attention on driving them to the hospital. He called in one of the many favors he had at SHIELD, having guards set up around the hospital and on the floor Pepper would be placed on. Once people got wind that the child of Tony Stark and Pepper Potts was going to be born, it would be pandemonium. "Keep breathing through it, Pepper," Phil said, dodging between cars in his haste. "Remember what your doctor said; you need to calm your breathing.

"You try to keep calm when your stomach is being torn apart!" Pepper yelled back, trying to regulate her breathing like she was taught. As the contraction eased, Pepper sighed in relief, loosening her grip on Phil's hand. "Where's Tony, Phil? He needs to be here; he can't miss this."

"He's gonna be there, Pepper; don't worry," Phil assured her. "He's just coming from quite a distance that's all. We sent the best jet out there to get him though; he won't be too long. They're all going to be here in time."

"They're all okay?" Pepper asked, rubbing her hands worriedly across her stomach. _'You need to wait for your daddy, little guy. Please please please don't come before your daddy gets home or he'll be very upset,' _Pepper thought.

"Yeah, they're all fine. No medics were needed when they got on the jet. Odds are they're just anxious to get back to you in time," Phil replied, pulling into the emergency parking in front of the hospital. As Phil got out of the car and walked around to Pepper's side, another SHIELD agent slid into the driver's seat. "Can't forget the bag," Phil muttered to himself, grabbing it from the back seat as he wrapped an arm around Pepper's shoulder. "Come on; let's get you into the hospital before the next contraction hits."

Pepper nodded in agreement, watching the car speed off before waddling into the hospital with Phil's help. "Hello," she said to the nurse standing at the reception desk. "I'm Pepper Potts; I'm in labor and I desperately need a bed to lay down on."

"Alright, Ms. Potts, I just need you to fill out these forms," the woman replied, sliding a stack of paper across the desk to her. "And then we'll put you in a room."

"Is there no way I can get a room and then fill out the forms?" Pepper asked tiredly.

"Sorry ma'am but those are the rules; you have to-"

"This woman is the wife of Tony Stark and is the President of Stark Industries. She runs the company that supplies all of your technology and medical equipment for free. It would be smart of you to give her a room on the seventh floor of this building," Phil said curtly.

"Oh-oh of course!" the nurse said, almost tripping over herself in her haste to find Pepper a private room in the computer system. "Can I get an orderly over here please? This woman needs a wheelchair; she's going up to the seventh floor."

Pepper sighed in relief as a wheelchair was brought over, nearly collapsing into the chair. "I'll take care of Ms. Potts," Phil said, brushing off the orderly. "A Doctor Mallard should be here within the next five minutes. Make sure you send him up to Ms. Potts's room immediately; he's her personal doctor."

"Of course, Mr. uh," the nurse paused, unsure of his name.

"Mr. Coulson," Phil replied, pushing Pepper's wheelchair toward the elevator doors.

* * *

PHIL TO THE RESCUE! Reviews please


	26. Stork brings a Stark

Here we are at long last! Finally we've arrived at the birth. It's only taken us..26 chapters. Don't think this is the end yet readers; I've still got a chapter or two up my sleeve...or three. We'll just have to see. I also wanna apologize for the typos in the last chapter. I was writing it between homework and I didn't get to proofread it before I posted. Sorry about that.

* * *

"Ah Mrs. Stark, how good to see you," Ducky said as he walked into the hospital room, placing his bag on one of the tables. "Although I must admit I didn't think I would be seeing you for at least an additional two weeks. But that's not a worry. Every child marches to the beat of his or her own drummer as they say." Pepper lay in bed, dressed in a hospital gown and looked after by two nurses and an ever-vigilant Phil Coulson. Ducky paused as his eyes landed on Phil. "Oh hello, I'm Doctor Mallard. Who might you be?"

"I'm A-I'm Phil Coulson; I'm a friend of Pepper and Tony's," Phil explained, offering his hand.

"Ah, very nice to meet you," Ducky replied, shaking his hand. "Where is Mr. Stark?"

"Tony's away on a mission, but he should be home soon," Pepper answered him, looking to Phil for confirmation.

"He should be here within the next ten minutes," Phil confirmed.

"Very good. Now how far apart are your contractions, Mrs. Stark?"

"Not far," Pepper said, gritting her teeth as she gripped the sheets of her bed.

"Mr. Stark would do well to get here soon," Ducky murmured, walking to Pepper's side.

* * *

"You alright, Tony?" Clint asked as they neared New York. "You're looking a little green."

Tony nodded mutely, staring straight ahead. His mind was filled with swirling thoughts, his still body covering up the panic that was bubbling beneath the surface. _'Pepper's gone into labor. Pepper's gone into labor two weeks early. Pepper's gone into labor and I'm not there to be with her,'_ Tony thought frantically._ 'She's gonna murder me when I get there.' _

"I think he's okay; he might just be panicking," Steve replied. "Understandably panicking."

"Don't worry, Tony; Pepper's gonna be perfectly fine," Bruce assured his best friend. "Phil's with her and he's taken her to the hospital. You know he would never let anything happen to her. That place is probably swarming with SHIELD agents."

"I wouldn't be surprised if it was," Natasha commented. "Phil doesn't stiff on security for anything, especially not for the birth of a kid he likes."

"The healer you have employed shall be there, correct?" Thor asked as he got off the phone with Jane. "He is a most experienced healer; he shall care well for Lady Pepper. We shall arrive there soon."

"Pepper's gonna murder me," Tony murmured, his voice barely audible.

"Why?" Bruce asked curiously.

"If I miss the birth of our kid, she's gonna kill me," Tony explained. "She will get up from her hospital bed and beat me over the head with an IV pole. Our kid will be in a little crib at the side of the bed watching his father be beaten within an inch of his life by his mother."

The airplane filled with silence, only broken by Natasha's bark of laughter, surprising everyone. "Oh that would be priceless," Natasha laughed, smirking slightly. "Don't worry about it, Stark; Pepper doesn't want to raise her son alone. She'll beat you within an inch of your life, but at least she won't kill you."

"We really need to work on your comforting skills," Clint said to Natasha, smiling at her.

* * *

The Avengers quickly raced the three blocks from their landing position to the hospital, rushing past the hospital security and up to Pepper's floor. It wasn't as if the security guards could stop a group of heavily armed, incredibly muscled superheroes; it would have been insane to try.

"How do you think Pep's doing?" Tony asked as they walked down the hallway toward Pepper's room.

"I'm going to kill Tony when he gets here!" Pepper shouted as they approached the door, causing the other Avengers to take a step back.

"I'd say she's doing about that well," Clint said wryly.

Tony paled as he stood outside the hospital door, his palms sweating as he panicked. What the hell was he supposed to do? "Friend Stark, you are needed by Lady Pepper," Thor said as Tony continued standing still, pushing him into the bedroom and closing the door behind him.

Pepper looked up at the sound of the closing door, her heart skipping a beat. "Tony," Pepper sighed in relief, relaxing against her pillows as her contraction ended.

"Ah Mr. Stark, how good of you to join us," Ducky said, smiling at him. "I was worried for a moment that Mr. Coulson would have to stand in for you. It's almost time."

"Tony's always fashionably late," Phil commented.

"I could never miss this," Tony said, walking over to Pepper's side. He brushed Pepper's bangs from her sweat-covered face, kissing her forehead. Looking over at Phil, Tony nodded. "I owe you one, Phil; I really do."

"Pepper's a friend; I'm here when she needs me," Phil replied, walking toward the door. "I'm gonna wait in the hall with the others; I've had a bit too much time in this room."

"Where have you been?" Pepper asked, squeezing Tony's hand as another contraction hit.

"Ow ow, Pepper that hurts," Tony said, wincing from Pepper's grip. A glare from Pepper quickly silenced him. "I tried to get back here as quickly as possible. I'm gonna blame the little guy for being early."

"You are _not_ blaming our son!" Pepper exclaimed.

"Mr. and Mrs. Stark, might I suggest you continue this conversation at a later time?" Ducky suggested. "It's time for Mrs. Stark to push."

Pepper looked up at Tony with fear-filled eyes. "Tony..."

"You can do this, Pepper," Tony assured her, kissing her quickly. "You're the strongest person I know; you can do this."

* * *

The Avengers sat in the hallway, wincing as Pepper's screams pierced the wall. "How much longer do you think Pepper will be?" Steve asked worriedly. "It doesn't sound like she can take much more."

"Pep will kill Tony before she gives up on her son," Natasha replied, tapping her foot nervously.

Their heads snapped up as Pepper's screams suddenly cut off, silence filling the air. "That has to be good, right?" Clint asked, looking at the others.

"It would seem so," Thor replied, nodding slightly.

They all jumped to their feet as the door swung open slightly as Ducky stuck his head out. "It is my great pleasure to announce the arrival of Alexander Stark," Ducky said, beaming at the assembled group.

* * *

ALEXANDER STARK! Reviews please!


	27. Family Bonding

Sorry this chapter seems so short, but the story scene idea I had didn't mesh with this one so I decided to split it into two smaller chapters. So i'm posting this chapter and the next one will be up ASAP

* * *

"You all can go in to see Mrs. Stark for a minute or two, but you can't stay too long," Ducky said. "She's tired and they both need to rest."

"You got it, Doctor," Steve replied. The Avengers joined by Jane and Asgeir filed into the room, smiling at the sight of Tony cradling his son in his arms as if he was the most precious thing on earth.

"Hey guys," Tony said, looking over at the group. "I've got a kid."

"Never thought I would have seen the day," Clint joked. "Congrats to both of you."

"How are you feeling, Pepper?" Jane asked her.

"Tired, but I'm happy," Pepper replied, smiling. "Really happy."

"Congratulations on the birth of your child. Alexander is a fine name for the babe," Thor remarked, shifting Asgeir in his arms. "Asgeir, this is your cousin, Alexander. You two shall be fast friends."

"He's so tiny, Daddy," Asgeir commented, peering at the baby. "Can I play with him?"

"Not yet, kiddo," Jane replied. "You've got to wait until he's a little bit bigger."

"I have a feeling we're gonna have a pair of trouble makers on our hands," Bruce laughed. "Once Alex starts walking, we're gonna need to start locking doors."

"He'll figure out a way to pick the lock," Natasha replied.

"Only if you teach him how, Nat," Clint answered.

"You guys make a nice little family," Steve said. "I was worried we wouldn't make it back in time."

"Tony made it back just in time," Pepper replied, yawning.

"Maybe we should leave them alone for a while," Natasha suggested. "We'll come back in a few hours to see you guys."

"We'll be here," Tony replied, sitting on the edge of Pepper's bed.

* * *

"You were so great," Tony murmured, kissing Pepper's head. "Absolutely incredible." The little family was crammed onto the hospital bed, Tony's arm wrapped around Pepper's shoulder and little Alexander cradled in Pepper's arms.

"Look what we made, Tony," Pepper said happily, tears filling her eyes as she leaned her head against Tony's chest. Pepper gently caressed the sleeping baby's cheek, a smile lighting up her face. "The perfect combination of you and me." A tuft of dark brown hair stood out on the top of Alex's head, as noticeable as his dark blue eyes when he was awake.

"We make some pretty cute babies," Tony agreed, his fingertip stroking Alex's hand. His eyes took in the baby's tiny features, noticing bits and pieces of himself and Pepper in their child. He was still in a state of shock, believing and disbelieving all at once. He couldn't believe he was a father after waiting so long to meet his kid. But the undeniable proof was sleeping soundly in Pepper's arms. Part of him was panicking over being a father, worrying about how to be a good father, but the worry was temporarily smothered by the overwhelming happiness he felt. He had a family, his own family. He had a wife whom he loved more than life itself and now he had a son to love until his last breath. "Thank you, Pepper."

"For what?" Pepper asked, looking up at Tony.

Tony shrugged, holding her closer. "You've given me everything worth having. I wouldn't have it without you."

"Oh Tony I love you," Pepper said softly, kissing him.

"I love you too, Pep," Tony replied. "And before I forget, because I so rarely get to say this, I told you so. I knew Alex was gonna come early."

"Way to kill a moment, Tony," Pepper said, rolling her eyes. "And how was I to know that he was going to come early? You showing up to a meeting only thirty minutes late is a miracle. I presumed our son would take after you."

"Now what happens when we assume, Pepper?" Tony asked, smirking.

"Oh shut up before I push you off the bed," Pepper answered, swatting his chest gently. "Don't mind your father Alex; he's a little crazy."

"Don't listen to your mom. I'm the cool parent, Alex. I'll teach you to do lots of fun stuff," Tony replied quickly, kissing Alex's small hand.

"You may not have a father for too much longer," Pepper muttered jokingly.

"You love me too much to kill me," Tony said, smiling at her.

"We'll see."

* * *

Ah family time. Aint it grand? Reviews please.


	28. The Nursery

This chapter is Clintasha dominant since I've had a lot of requests for them but it features the other Avengers too

* * *

Clint stood in front of the glass window of the nursery, looking at all the babies in their little cribs. Alexander was still in the room with Tony and Pepper, but Clint couldn't resist the chance to look at adorable little babies. He was happy for all the babies in the room; they were safe and innocent. They had a blank slate ahead of them, a life with no past, no boundaries. And odds were none of them would live a life anything like he had. They would go home with a parent or two, somewhere warm where they would be loved. They would be cared for and looked after every day of their life, surrounded by people who would die to protect them. And Clint couldn't help thinking that was really freakin' great. He smiled slightly as he felt Natasha approach him, knowing it was her before he even caught sight of her shadow.

Natasha was unsurprised when she found Clint standing outside of the nursery. When you had seen so much blood and pain in your life, you were instinctively drawn to things that possessed innocence, even if you couldn't touch it. It was one of the reasons they were both so attached to Asgeir, the little child who allowed them to forget about the red in their ledger and the demons in their past, who let them just be normal people for a little while.

"You know I always wanted a big family," Clint said as she stood at his side.

"Really?" Natasha asked, her shoulder brushing against his. The barest hint of a smile tugged at her lips as she looked into the nursery at the babies, feeling oddly peaceful.

"Yeah," Clint replied, loosely wrapping an arm around her waist. "When I was growing up I wanted the whole American dream: the white picket fence, the wife who loved me, a bunch of rugrats of my own, maybe even a pet dog. That was my dream when I was still young enough to dream."

"It sounds like a nice dream," Natasha murmured, leaning against him slightly. She knew none of the Avengers were around so she wasn't as hesitant to show affection toward Clint. "I dreamed about having kids once upon a time, but now…"

"What about now, Nat?"

"Maybe it's not in the cards for me anymore, especially with our line of work," Natasha replied. "Who knows if I can have them?"

"Well Nat, if I was gonna have a family, I'd have it with you," Clint said honestly, keeping his gaze on the nursery.

Natasha stiffened momentarily at his words, unsure of how to respond. A nurse inside of the nursery finally noticed them, coming over to the door. "Which one is yours?" she asked, sticking her head through the doorway. "I'll bring 'em over to the window for you to see."

Natasha turned her head back to the nursery, looking more carefully at the babies. Which baby would look like their child? The one kicking his arms and legs in the crib? The little girl with a sprinkling of red hair? The sleeping baby with his arm stretched above his shoulder reminding Natasha of how Clint reached for an arrow in his quiver? Natasha turned back to the nurse, shaking her head. "None of them are ours."

"Well don't you worry. You two are still young; kids might still be on the horizon for you," she said before going back into the nursery.

* * *

Steve paused as he walked past the nursery on his way back to Pepper's room. The sight of all the sleeping babies made him smile. In a world with so many weird things, where so many things had changed, this still stayed the same. Babies were still born into the world, still laughed and cried, still went home with a loving family. Steve was glad for the little things that stayed the same despite all the time that had past. He found himself wishing he had brought his sketchbook with him. He could have spent hours drawing the babies in the other room, trying to capture the smile of one baby or the delicate features of another. They were all so different, but each and everyone was absolutely perfect. As Steve walked away from the window, he found himself thinking that maybe so much hadn't changed after all.

* * *

Bruce smiled as he stood in front of the nursery window, looking at all the babies in the room. This is what he fought for, for these little innocent lives to grow up in a world that was safe. This is what he turned into a huge green rage monster to protect; even if he didn't know them personally, he sought to protect them all the same. He took a measure of peace from them. None of them were afraid of them. None of the babies were crying because he was there or scared of him. They couldn't care less that he was there. To them he was just another normal face passing by. Someone they would see but they would never know. Someone they weren't afraid off. He mentally added them to the ever-growing list of people who weren't afraid of him, smiling to himself as he turned to go.

* * *

"Momma, look at all the babies," Asgeir said, pressing his little hands against the window as Thor held him up.

"There are lots of mommies and daddies in the hospital today and those are their babies," Jane explained. She smiled as she looked at the babies, remembering when her son was that small. How quickly he had grown.

"Daddy, can we take one home?" Asgeir asked, turning toward Thor.

Thor raised his eyebrows, looking at Jane before turning back to his son. "Not today, Asgeir," Thor replied, smiling at his son. "But perhaps your mother and I will talk about it later."

Jane smiled up at Thor, slipping her hand into his. "I think expanding our family would be a lovely idea."

"As do I," Thor replied, kissing her softly.

* * *

I shoulda put a fluff warning at the beginning of the chapter lol. Reviews please


	29. Home

Here we are ladies and gentleman, the last chapter of Stork brings a Stark. I want to thank all of you guys who were with me from the very first chapter, who've been reading my Avengers stories since I've been writing them; I really appreciate it. If you guys have any story requests, let me know and maybe I'll write about your idea.

* * *

"Bruce, we have one good-looking godson," Rhodey said proudly as he held Alexander carefully in his arms, smiling down at him. After spending a few days in the hospital, Pepper and Alexander finally returned home to the Tower to the happiness of the entire family. Rhodey flew out from Malibu the moment he heard Pepper had gone into labor, arriving a few hours after Alex's birth. "Who woulda thought his dad is Tony?"

"Hey, hey, you can't use my kid to make fun of me," Tony said from his seat on the couch, wrapping his arm around Pepper's shoulders. The Avengers were scattered around the living room, each person patiently waiting their turn to hold Alex. He wasn't surprised by how quickly everyone took to Alex; it was after all his son. "My genes combined with Pepper's genes are bound to make a good-looking kid; what else did you expect? My son's gonna be a ladies' man."

"Hopefully not like his father was," Pepper replied, leaning her head against Tony's shoulder. Pepper basked in the happiness she felt as she was surrounded by her family. She had a husband, she had brother-in-laws, she had sister-in-laws, she had a nephew and now she finally had a son. She wasn't sure what she had done to deserve so much happiness, but she wasn't going to question it. Just thank whoever needed to be thanked.

"Don't worry, Pepper; we'll teach Alex better than that," Bruce said as he was handed his godson. Bruce felt incredibly comfortable holding Alex, partially from the practice he had with Asgeir as a baby, another part from knowing he was given the job of taking care of Alex and making sure he was safe.

"You guys make me sound like I was such a playboy," Tony scoffed.

"Is that not what you told my brother when he invaded New York?" Thor asked, his attention divided between watching Asgeir play on the floor and watching Alex. The sight of the baby in the Tower made Thor want another little one of his own; after all Asgeir would be thrilled to have a little brother or sister to play with. Even though things weren't perfect between him and Loki, some of his best memories were of them playing together as children.

"You also tried hitting on me when I worked for Stark Industries," Natasha pointed out. A small smile spread across her face as Bruce handed Alex to her, her remark to Tony easily forgotten. She couldn't believe how soft these children had made her. She was the fearsome Black Widow, a person who made others afraid to sleep at night. But Asgeir and now Alex made something melt inside of her, made her laugh and smile in a way very few people could make her. And she didn't resist the change. It felt nice, normal.

"Pepper, they're not being nice to me," Tony whined, kissing Pepper's cheek.

"We're not obligated to be nice to you, Tony; we're family," Rhodey laughed. "We're just telling it like it is. I've known you for too many years to sugar coat things for you."

Tony shrugged his shoulders, not minding the banter. "Jarvis will back me up on this, won't you Jarv?"

"If it's all the same to you, sir, I'd prefer not to take sides in this debate," the AI replied.

"Looks like you made your computer a little too smart," Steve laughed, lifting Asgeir onto his lap as the child crawled onto the couch next to him.

"Uncle Steve, can I hold Alex?" Asgeir asked as he leaned over to look at his little cousin.

"I don't think so, champ," Steve replied, ruffling his hair. "You're a little too small and Alex is even smaller than you. We've gotta be careful with him because he can be hurt easily."

"Oh," Asgeir replied, leaning against Steve. "I'll take care of him so he's safe."

"I'm sure you will, Asgeir," Clint said, smiling at him. He rested his arm along the back of the couch, his fingertip gently stroking Alex's cheek. "Alex is gonna be surrounded by protectors."

"Uncle Clint, are you and Auntie Tasha gonna have a baby too?" Asgeir asked after watching them for a few moments.

Natasha and Clint looked up in surprise, looking at each other, then Asgeir before looking back at each other.

"This is interesting," Tony murmured as he watched the assassin pair.

"No, Asgeir, we're not going to have a baby," Natasha answered, handing Alex back to Pepper as the baby began to cry from hunger.

"Not yet," Tony amended.

"Do you want Pepper to be a single parent?" Natasha asked calmly, raising an eyebrow.

"Come on, let's go take care of your son before he doesn't have a father," Pepper said, grabbing Tony's sleeve as she got up from the couch and walked toward the nursery.

* * *

"I still think Alex would have liked a red and gold nursery," Tony said as he walked over to the crib, carefully placing his tired son in it.

"I would disagree," Pepper retorted, standing beside him. "Alex doesn't even know what color his nursery is now."

"Exactly, we could have painted it red and gold and he would have never known."

"You still have some red and gold in the room," Pepper said, rolling her eyes as she tucked the red blanket around her son. "Doesn't mean we have to paint the walls red and gold."

"It could still use some more red and gold," Tony replied, pouting as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Just you wait Alex; the moment your mom leaves for more than a day, your nursery is gonna get an Ironman overhaul. It's gonna be great. If you're old enough I'll let you help me paint."

"Not on your life, Tony Stark," Pepper laughed, leaning against his side. "He already has an Ironman in his room along with the other Avengers," Pepper replied, gently tapping the mobile that hung above Alex's crib.

The mobile was Tony and Pepper's favorite thing in the nursery, a gift to Alex from his Aunt Natasha and Uncle Clint. In place of the usual animals or television characters, they had made the mobile with little stuffed dolls of the Avengers to protect their little nephew while he was asleep.

"And you've got an Ironman in your room," Tony said, smirking. "Let's go to bed." As Tony walked out of the nursery with Pepper, he looked back over his shoulder, glancing at his sleeping son.

* * *

Thanks for reading everyone! Make sure to leave a review and/or a request!


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